O. Rogeriee Thompson

O. Rogeriee Thompson

O. Rogeriee Thompson was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate last week for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. She will become the first black judge on the federal appeals court and its second woman.

Thompson, 58, has been a Rhode Island Superior Court judge since 1997 and, before that, served on the District Court. She graduated from Brown University and received her law degree from Boston University.

Thompson had been recommended for the position by U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, both Rhode Island Democrats, and then nominated by President Barack Obama.

In a joint statement, Reed and Whitehouse called Thompson an “inspiration for many Americans.”

“She is hardworking, civic-minded, and has earned the respect of her peers in the legal community,” the senators said.

The Boston-based court hears appeals of federal cases from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico.