Mary Cooper
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2011 - Present
13
Mary Cooper is a federal judge serving on senior status for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. She joined the court in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. She assumed senior status on August 31, 2011. She served until 1998 under the name Mary Little Parell.
Early life and education
Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Cooper graduated from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, with her bachelor's degree in 1968 and later from Villanova University School of Law in Philadephia, Pennsylvania with her Juris Doctor degree in 1972.[1]
Professional career
Cooper was a private practice attorney in New Jersey from 1972 to 1984. In 1984, Cooper became a commissioner in the New Jersey Department of Banking located in the State Capitol of Trenton, New Jersey from 1984 to 1990. In 1990, Cooper became vice-president and general counsel of The Prudential Property and Casualty Insurance in Holmdel, New Jersey, from 1990 to 1992.[1]
Judicial career
District of New Jersey
Cooper was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1991, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089, which was approved by Congress. Cooper was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 27, 1992, on a Senate vote and received commission on March 2, 1992.[2] She assumed senior status on August 31, 2011.
Noteworthy cases
New Jersey State Troopers sex assault suit (2009)
Judge Cooper was the presiding judge in a lawsuit involving seven members of the New Jersey State Police. A female college student sued the seven troopers alleging they had forced, non-consensual sexual activity with her at a night club. The troopers argued that the state did not have a right to question them about what they referred to as private, consensual sexual conduct among adults. The judge ruled on December 18, 2009, that the state has a right to inquire about the acts even if a crime was not committed and the sexual activity was consented to, as "sexual conduct with an impaired person, serially and at the same time, reflects poorly on [the troopers] suitability to be members of the state police."[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: NA-New Seat |
District of New Jersey 1992–2011 Seat #15 |
Succeeded by: Michael Shipp
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| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 |
Barksdale • Bonner • Buckwalter • Cyr • Fernandez • Garbis • Harmon • Lee • Lindberg • Lodge • Nelson • Nottingham • Plager • Rosen • Rymer • Smith • Spatt • Thomas • VanBebber • J. Walker • V. Walker • Wiener • Wright | ||
| 1990 |
Alito • Amon • Birch • Boudin • Cleland • Clevenger • Dubina • Hamilton • Henderson • Hood • Hornby • Jones • Kent • Levi • Loken • Lourie • Martin • McBryde • McClure • McKenna • McLaughlin • McNamee • Moreno • Mullen • Nelson • Nickerson • Niemeyer • Norton • Parker • Pickering • Rader • Rainey • Randolph • Shanstrom • Shedd • Shubb • Singleton • Skretny • Souter • Sparr • Stahl • Stamp • Suhrheinrich • Taylor • Vollmer • Ware • Wilson | ||
| 1991 |
Albritton • Andersen • Armstrong • Arnold • Bartle • Bassler • Batchelder • Beckwith • Belot • Benson • Blackburn • Bramlette • Brody • Brody • Burrell • Carnes • Caulfield • Cauthron • Clement • Collier • Conway • Cooper • Dalzell • DeMent • DeMoss • Doherty • Echols • Edmunds • Faber • Freeh • Gaitan • Garza • Graham • Haik • Hamilton • Hansen • Hendren • Herlong • Highsmith • Hogan • Huff • Hurley • Irenas • Johnson • Joyner • Kelly • Kleinfeld • Legg • Leonard • Lewis • Longstaff • Lungstrum • Luttig • Matia • McCalla • McDade • McKeague • McKelvie • Means • Merryday • Moore • Morgan • Nielsen • Nimmons • Osteen Sr. • Padova • Payne • Reinhard • Robinson • Robreno • Roll • Roth • Schlesinger • Scullin • Siler • Solis • Sotomayor • Sparks • Stohr • Thomas • Traxler • Trimble • Ungaro • Van Sickle • Wanger • Werlein • Whyte • Yohn | ||
| 1992 |
Baird • Barbadoro • Black • Boudin • Carnes • Covello • DiClerico • Gilbert • Gonzalez • Gorton • Hansen • Heyburn • Jackson • Jacobs • Keeley • Kendall • Kopf • Kyle • Lewis • McAuliffe • McLaughlin • Melloy • Preska • Quist • Randa • Rosenthal • Rovner • Schall • Sedwick • Simandle • Stahl • Vratil • Williams | ||
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Jersey • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Jersey
State courts:
New Jersey Supreme Court • New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division • New Jersey Superior Courts • New Jersey Municipal Courts • New Jersey Tax Court
State resources:
Courts in New Jersey • New Jersey judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Jersey
