Stephanie Dawn Thacker - CONFIRMED

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

On September 8, 2011, President Obama nominated Stephanie Dawn Thacker, age 46, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Thacker, who specializes in complex litigation, environmental and toxic tort litigation, and criminal defense, is a partner at the Charleston, West Virginia, law firm of Guthrie & Thomas PLLC and teaches a course in Trial Advocacy as an adjunct professor at the West Virginia University School of Law. President Obama has said that Ms. Thacker “will be a diligent, judicious and esteemed addition to the Fourth Circuit bench,” stating that she “has displayed exceptional dedication to the legal profession through her work and I am honored to nominate her to serve the American people as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals.” The seat that she would fill became vacant on March 25, 2011, upon the death of Judge M. Blane Michael.

Biography

Stephanie Dawn Thacker was born in Huntington, West Virginia in 1965. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Marshall University in 1987, and her J.D. with honors from West Virginia University College of Law in 1990. From 1990-1992, Ms. Thacker worked in the law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (now K&L Gates). She then served as an Assistant Attorney General in Environmental Division of the West Virginia Office of the Attorney General for a short period of time in 1992 before joining King, Betts & Allen that same year. In 1994, she became an Assistant United States Attorney in the General Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Five years later in 1999 she began service as a United States Department of Justice Trial Attorney in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) where she served for seven years, including two years as the Deputy Chief of Litigation and two years as the Principal Deputy Chief. In 2006, she left the Department of Justice, joining Guthrie & Thomas, successor to her former firm King, Betts & Allen.

Legal Experience

Stephanie Thacker has experience in both civil and criminal law, has worked both as a federal prosecutor and as a defense attorney, and has served in the public and private sectors. During her time in the U. S. Attorney’s Office she was involved with a broad variety of criminal prosecutions, including participation in the nation’s first case to be prosecuted under the Violence Against Women Act, United States v. Bailey, in which she served as co-counsel representing the United States. While at the Department of Justice, she focused on matters involving sex trafficking, sex tourism, child sexual exploitation, and related matters. In addition to prosecuting cases, she provided training to numerous government agencies and departments on legal issues related to the work of CEOS.

While serving as the Principal Deputy Chief of Litigation at CEOS, Ms. Thacker led the Department in creating and implementing a nationwide prosecution program and developed policy, litigation strategies, and initiatives to keep CEOS effectively addressing child exploitation and obscenity offenses. The program, named the Innocence Lost Initiative, had secured 505 arrests, 60 complaints, 708 indictments, and 67 convictions of persons involved in the commercial exploitation of children by the time Ms. Thacker left CEOS in 2006. In 2005, she received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Special Initiative for work done to develop a nationwide sex tourism prosecution initiative in conjunction with the FBI. Among the many cases she prosecuted, Ms. Thacker served as co-counsel in all phases of United States v. York, representing the government in bringing multiple racketeering counts and charges of interstate transportation of minors for unlawful sexual activity against a defendant that resulted in a sentence of 135 years of imprisonment. The prosecution team of which she was a part received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for their work on the case.

Professional and Academic Activities

Ms. Thacker is a member of the West Virginia Bar. She was named the West Virginia University College of Law Women’s Law Caucus Outstanding Female Attorney, Law Firm Division in 2011. In addition to the awards already mentioned, she received the United States Department of Justice Meritorious Award in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004; the United States Department of Justice Special Achievement Award in 2003; and the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Victim/Witness Service in 2004. She has served on the Governor’s Family Violence Coordinating Council of West Virginia and on the West Virginia Domestic Violence Protocol Review Committee.

» Download AFJ Background Report on Stephanie Dawn Thacker (pdf)