The US Senate has confirmed Judge Kari A. Dooley, 55, of Newtown as a US District Judge for the District of Connecticut, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.

Judge Dooley received her commission from President Donald J. Trump on September 13, 2018, and she began her service the following day.

Judge Dooley is a 1985 graduate of Cornell University and a 1988 graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

She started her legal career as an associate with the law firm of Whitman and Ransom in Greenwich.

In 1992, she joined the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, where she prosecuted criminal cases as an assistant US attorney.

In 2004, she was nominated by Governor M. Jodi Rell to be a Superior Court judge for the State of Connecticut. She was confirmed by the Connecticut legislature and served as a state court judge for 14 years, until being named a federal judge.

Of Judge Dooley’s appointment to the federal bench, Chief United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill said, “The citizens of Connecticut are fortunate to have a person of Judge Dooley’s intellect, temperament, and integrity appointed to the federal bench. She possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge, and my colleagues and I enthusiastically welcome her to the ranks of judicial officers in our district.”

Judge Dooley’s chambers are located in the Brien McMahon Federal Building in Bridgeport. She fills the vacancy created by Judge Robert N. Chatigny, who assumed senior judge status in January 2017.

The District of Connecticut has eight authorized judgeships. Following Judge Dooley’s appointment, there remains one judicial vacancy on the Court.