Statement of Senator Carl Levin on the Nominations of Thomas Ludington and Sean Cox to the Federal Bench of the Eastern District of Michigan

Statement as prepared for delivery

I am pleased that the Senate will be voting today on two Michigan jurists, Thomas Ludington and Sean Cox, whom the President has nominated to the federal bench in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Thomas Ludington is currently Chief Judge on the Circuit Court for Midland County in Midland, Michigan. He received his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1979 and his B.A. from Albion College in 1976, where he graduated cum laude.

After graduating from law school, Judge Ludington worked as an associate and then as a shareholder-partner at a private law firm. At that firm, Judge Ludington’s practice covered a range of commercial issues, including banking, securities, bankruptcy, the uniform commercial code, and employment law. He served as president of the firm for six years.

In 1995, Judge Ludington was elected to a six year term on the 42nd Circuit Court of Michigan. In 1999, he was appointed to the position of Chief Judge, in which he as served with distinction.

Judge Ludington is a member of several state and local bar associations and belongs to numerous professional and community organizations. For example, since assuming the bench, he has helped organize the Midland Alliance for Justice, a foundation for the local Bar Association that provides legal representation to indigent parties.

The American Bar Association rated Judge Ludington “Unanimous Well-Qualified” to serve as a federal judge.

Sean Cox earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law in May 1983. In his 20-year legal career, Judge Cox has had experience in both private practice and on the bench. Judge Cox began practicing law in April 1984 as an associate attorney with a private law firm, and worked for 12 years in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, and complex litigation.

Cox left private practice in March 1996 to serve as Judge of the Circuit Court for the Third Judicial Circuit in Wayne County, Michigan. Judge Cox has also served in various professional organizations and has frequently provided free legal services through a legal aid clinic his law firm established at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Detroit.

The American Bar Association has also rated Judge Cox “Unanimous Well-Qualified” to serve as a federal judge.

We are fortunate that we have jurists such as Judge Ludington and Judge Cox devoted to public service. I believe that both will bring character, integrity and judicial temperament to the Eastern District of Michigan. I congratulate these jurists and their families on their nominations, and urge the Senate to confirm them.