Martin County native nominated for federal commission

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has nominated a Martin County native for the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Claria Horn Boom has served as a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky since 2018.

A bipartisan, independent agency located in the judicial branch of government, the U.S. Sentencing Commission was created by Congress in 1984 to reduce sentencing disparities and promote transparency and proportionality in sentencing, according to its website.

The commission collects, analyzes, and distributes a broad array of information on federal sentencing practices. The commission also continuously establishes and amends sentencing guidelines for the judicial branch and assists the other branches in developing effective and efficient crime policy.

Boom, previously a partner at Frost Brown Todd LLC, served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2001 to 2002 and for the Western District of Kentucky from 1998 to 2001.

From 1995 to 1998, Boom was an associate at King & Spalding LLP. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Pierce Lively on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1994-1995.

Boom received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A. from Transylvania University, summa cum laude.

Boom was one of seven nominees for the commission and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.