Schofield was born January 22, 1956, grew up in
New Haven, Indiana, and graduated from New Haven Senior High School in 1974. She was elected as
Governor of
Hoosier Girls State, a program of the American Legion Auxiliary, in 1973. Schofield received her
Bachelor of Arts degree from
Indiana University in 1977. She received her
Juris Doctor from the
New York University School of Law in 1981. From 1981 to 1984, she was an associate at the law firm of
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. From 1984 to 1988, she served as an
assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, prosecuting domestic terrorism, smuggling and tax fraud. She became an associate at the law firm of
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in
New York City in 1988 and was promoted to partner in 1991. She specialized in complex civil litigation and white collar
criminal defense. In addition, she has been heavily involved with the
American Bar Association, holding a number of leadership positions, including Chair of the Section on Litigation.
Federal judicial service On April 25, 2012, President
Barack Obama nominated Schofield to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, to the seat vacated by Judge
Shira A. Scheindlin. Schofield is the first Filipino American in the history of the United States to serve as an Article III federal judge. Schofield testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on June 6, 2012. The committee reported Schofield's nomination to the full Senate on July 12, 2012. The Senate confirmed Schofield on December 13, 2012, by a 91–0 vote. She received her commission on December 13, 2012. She assumed
senior status on January 1, 2025. ==See also==