WASHINGTON – Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly applauded the President’s nomination of Arizonan Sharad Desai to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Arizona.
“Sharad Desai possesses the experience, integrity, and intellect to serve as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. I’m proud to have recommended his nomination to the White House and I look forward to securing his bipartisan confirmation by the United States Senate,” said Sinema.
“The President has nominated Mr. Desai, who is experienced and well-regarded by Arizona’s legal community, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona,” said Kelly. “I congratulate him on this important nomination and look forward to working towards his confirmation in the United States Senate.”
As Arizona’s senior Senator, Sinema recommended Mr. Desai and worked directly with the White House on his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Mr. Desai is a native Arizonan and, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would be Arizona’s first South Asian federal district judge.
Mr. Desai currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Honeywell’s Integrated Supply Chain and Information Technology groups, where he manages legal risk, ensures compliance with laws and regulations across the globe, resolves disputes prior to litigation, and more.
At Honeywell, Mr. Desai has served in numerous roles, including as Litigation Counsel for Honeywell’s Aerospace division and Chief Litigation Counsel for the Safety and Productivity Solutions division. In these roles, Mr. Desai managed a docket of federal and state court matters and arbitrations – including commercial, qui tam, product liability, and toxic tort matters. Mr. Desai also selected outside counsel, developed the litigation strategy, and coordinated discovery efforts. He was also responsible for handling government subpoenas and civil investigatory demands, as well as subpoenas received in connection with civil and criminal matters.
Mr. Desai also worked almost for a decade at the Arizona law firm Osborn Maledon, becoming a partner in the litigation group where he represented clients – including individuals, small business, and Fortune 100 companies – in commercial litigation and appellate matters. In this role, Mr. Desai regularly appeared in both federal and state courts, mental health court proceedings, and lawyer ethics matters.
After graduating from New York University Law School in 2006, Mr. Desai clerked for Arizona Supreme Court then-Vice Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch. Mr. Desai earned a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Magna Cum Laude, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Arizona in 2003, where he was a Flinn Scholar.