Bayh Nominates 3 For Federal Bench

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sen. Evan Bayh on Monday announced nominations that President Barack Obama will make for three federal judge positions in Indiana.

Bayh nominated Tanya Walton Pratt and Jane Magnus-Stinson for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and Jon DeGuilio for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Magnus-Stinson was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana in January 2007, after serving as Judge of the Marion Superior Court from 1995 to 2007. She also worked as legal counsel and deputy chief of staff to then-Gov. Evan Bayh from 1991 to 1995.

Magnus-Stinson graduated cum laude from Butler University in 1979, and received her law degree from the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis in 1983.

Walton Pratt, who was elected judge in November 2006, is the presiding judge of the Marion Superior Court, Probate Division, and previously served as presiding judge of Superior Court, Criminal Division 1. Before that, she worked as an attorney in private practice and as a deputy public defender in Marion Superior Court.

Walton Pratt graduated from Spelman College in 1981 and earned her law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1984. She would be the first African-American to serve as a federal judge in Indiana.

DeGuilio served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana from 1993 to 1999. He received his undergraduate degree from University of Notre Dame and his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.

"Today, we take a historic step in creating a more diverse federal judiciary in our state," Bayh said. "These highly qualified individuals have impeccable records and rich backgrounds that will help move us closer to our goal of realizing equal justice under law.”

The nominees will need to win U.S. Senate approval before taking office.