Totenberg Nominated for US District Court Bench ATLANTA (WABE) - The Obama administration has nominated former Atlanta school board attorney Amy Totenberg to become a U.S district court judge in the north district of Georgia.
Jonathan Shapiro reports.

Harvard Law graduate Amy Totenberg began her career in Atlanta primarily focused on civil litigation. She worked in private practice until 1988, when she began serving as a part-time Municipal County judge for the city of Atlanta.

WABE legal analyst Page Pate says President Obama took into account her Atlanta roots and her background addressing issues that affect everyday people.

"She's always been an advocate for civil rights and she has been a voice in the community for those that often otherwise would not have a voice especially as a sole practitioner doing civil litigation," says Pate.

From 1994 to1998, Totenberg was the very first general counsel for Atlanta's public schools.

"I think she will have the type of empathy - and that's the word the Obama adminstration has used in the past - that they're looking for in a judge," says Pate.

Totenberg is based in Atlanta, but since 2000, she's played an important role in monitoring the Baltimore City Schools to ensure they follow federal court orders. © Copyright 2012, WABE