Congressman Cohen Congratulates Kevin Ritz on Senate Confirmation of His Appointment to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

MEMPHIS - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) applauded the Senate confirmation of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and made the following statement:

"I have not known of an individual for judicial appointment that has had more superlatives brought to my attention from both Democrats and Republicans. He was president of his high school class. He was a Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia and was honored as a student at Georgetown, where he studied for the Foreign Service, and at the University of Virginia's School of Law, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and won the prestigious James C. Slaughter Honor Award and the Ritter Prize. His conduct as an attorney before the Sixth Circuit has drawn praise from the judges on that Court, one of whose Republican members told me he would be a 'perfect fit' for the circuit. I was proud to recommend him to President Biden. I was also proud to recommend Andre Mathis for the Court last year. We now have two outstanding Memphis lawyers on the Sixth Circuit, two outstanding citizens, and two outstanding representatives of our community.

"Tennessee having been in a unique situation of not having a Democratic senator during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, I have had the opportunity to recommend judicial nominees from West Tennessee. I pride myself on having submitted only the finest nominees for U.S. Attorney, Federal District Judge, and for the Sixth Circuit. And with Kevin Ritz, I can proudly say I've continued that path and have improved our federal judiciary."

Before his tenure in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ritz clerked for Judge Julia S. Gibbons of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Between college and law school, Mr. Ritz worked for the United States Department of State.

Ritz received his J.D. from the University of Virginia, his M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and his B.A. with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar. He is a graduate of White Station High School.

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