Press Release - President Obama Nominates Rebecca Ross Haywood to Serve on the United States Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Rebecca Ross Haywood to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

"Throughout her career, Rebecca Ross Haywood has shown unwavering integrity and an outstanding commitment to public service," said President Obama. "I am proud to nominate her to serve on the United States Court of Appeals."

Rebecca Ross Haywood: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Rebecca Ross Haywood is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she has served as Chief of the Appellate Division since 2010. As part of the office's Management Team, she regularly consults on and reviews filings for the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania. In addition, Haywood frequently practices before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and confers with trial attorneys on cases before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Haywood was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and raised in the neighboring town of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. She received her A.B. cum laude in 1990 from Princeton University. She then attended the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an Associate Editor on the Michigan Law Review and obtained her J.D. magna cum laude in 1994. After graduating from law school, Haywood clerked for the Honorable Alan N. Bloch of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 1997, she worked in the Pittsburgh office of the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue (now Jones Day). Haywood served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 1997 to 2001, where she handled civil matters, including representing federal agencies in employment and medical malpractice cases. From 2001 to 2003, she once again clerked for the Honorable Alan N. Bloch. In 2003, Haywood returned to the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where she was promoted to Appellate Chief in 2010.

During her time in the United States Attorney's Office, Haywood has been actively involved in workplace management and training, serving as a member of the executive and training committees since 2011, as well as serving as the coordinator for prevention of workplace harassment from 2004 to 2010. In addition, she is actively involved in the community and regularly speaks to students and legal organizations about the law and her career.