President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations
As he continues to go at an historic tempo with regard to judicial nominees, the President is asserting five new candidates for the federal bench and two new candidates for District of Columbia courts, all of whom are terribly competent, experienced, and devoted to the rule of legislation and our Constitution.
These choices also carry on to satisfy the President’s guarantee to guarantee that the nation’s courts mirror the diversity that is 1 of our best belongings as a nation — both of those in terms of own and specialist backgrounds.
For example, this slate incorporates:
- A nationally-identified leader on voting legal rights who would be the only Latina serving on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
- A former community defender and recent civil legal rights plaintiff’s lawyer who would be the second African American lady decide actively serving on the District Courtroom for the District of Columbia
- A federal prosecutor who would be the to start with choose of South Asian descent to provide on the District Court for the District of Connecticut
- A Section of Justice lawyer with two a long time of civil legal rights practical experience, like as Deputy Main of the Appellate Area in the Civil Rights Division
- A justice of the peace judge on the D.C. Superior Court docket with deep expertise in domestic violence and loved ones legislation concerns
This is President Biden’s fourth round of names for federal judicial positions, bringing the amount of announced federal judicial nominees to 24.
President Biden has spent many years dedicated to strengthening the federal bench, which is why he carries on to go at an unparalleled speed with respect to judicial nominations. His initially judicial nominations announcement was built more quickly than that of any new President in fashionable American historical past, and today’s announcement proceeds that craze.
CIRCUIT Court docket
MYRNA PÉREZ
Nominated to the United States Courtroom of Appeals for the Next Circuit
Myrna Pérez is the director of the Brennan Center’s Voting Legal rights and Elections Software at the New York College (NYU) School of Law. Ms. Pérez joined the Brennan Centre in 2006. She has also been a lecturer-in-regulation at Columbia Legislation University since 2016. She formerly served as an Adjunct Professor of Medical Law at NYU College of Regulation from 2013 to 2015. Prior to joining the Brennan Middle, Ms. Pérez was a Civil Legal rights Fellow at Relman, Dane & Colfax, a civil legal rights legislation organization in Washington, D.C., from 2005 to 2006. Ms. Pérez served as a legislation clerk for Decide Anita B. Brody on the U.S. District Court for the Jap District of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2004 and for Judge Julio M. Fuentes on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit from 2004 to 2005.
Ms. Pérez acquired her J.D. from Columbia Legislation School in 2003, her M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy University in 1998, and her B.A. from Yale College in 1996. Prior to law university, she was a Presidential Administration Fellow, serving as a policy analyst for the U.S. Federal government Accountability Business office on troubles including housing and health care.
DISTRICT COURTS
SARAH A. L. MERRIAM
Nominated to the United States District Courtroom for the District of Connecticut
Choose Sarah A. L. Merriam has served as a U.S. Justice of the peace Choose for the District of Connecticut due to the fact 2015. Formerly, she served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Connecticut from 2007 to 2015. Choose Merriam labored on political campaigns in Connecticut from 2006 to 2007. She was an affiliate at the Connecticut-primarily based law firm Cowdery, Ecker & Murphy from 2003 to 2006. Judge Merriam served as a regulation clerk for Choose Thomas Meskill on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2002 to 2003 and for Decide Alvin Thompson on the U.S. District Court docket for the District of Connecticut from 2000 to 2002.
Choose Merriam been given an LLM from Duke Legislation Faculty in 2018, her J.D. from Yale Law Faculty in 2000, and her B.A. from Georgetown in 1993.
SARALA VIDYA NAGALA
Nominated to the United States District Courtroom for the District of Connecticut
Sarala Vidya Nagala is the Deputy Main of the Significant Crimes Device in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Connecticut, a job she has held considering the fact that 2017. Ms. Nagala joined the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace in 2012, and has served in a range of management roles in the place of work, including as Hate Crimes Coordinator. Beforehand, Ms. Nagala was an associate at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California from 2009 to 2012. She began her legal career as a regulation clerk for Judge Susan Graber on the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009.
Ms. Nagala obtained her J.D. from the College of California at Berkeley Faculty of Regulation in 2008 and her B.A. from Stanford College in 2005.
OMAR A. WILLIAMS
Nominated to the United States District Courtroom for the District of Connecticut
Judge Omar A. Williams has served as a Superior Courtroom Judge in Hartford, Connecticut considering that 2016. In that purpose, Judge Williams has served on the New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative, the Sentence Assessment Division, and the Wiretap Panel. He was formerly a Exceptional Court Choose in New London from 2014 to 2016. Prior to his appointment as a state court docket decide, Decide Williams was an Assistant General public Defender for the Condition of Connecticut Division of Public Defender Companies from 2003 to 2014.
Choose Williams obtained his J.D. from the College of Connecticut Legislation University in 2002 and his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1998.
JIA M. COBB
Nominated to the United States District Court docket for the District of Columbia
Jia M. Cobb is a associate at Relman Colfax, exactly where she has practiced because 2012. Her plaintiff-side litigation practice focuses on good housing, disability discrimination, work discrimination, and scenarios at the intersection of civil rights and legal justice. Ms. Cobb taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at American College Washington Higher education of Law in 2011 and was a college member at Harvard Regulation School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop in 2010 and 2011. Prior to her time in non-public observe, Ms. Cobb served as a trial legal professional at the Public Defender Provider for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2012. She commenced her legal profession as a legislation clerk for Decide Diane Wooden on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2005 to 2006.
Ms. Cobb obtained a J.D. from Harvard Regulation University, cum laude, in 2005 and a B.A. from Northwestern College, magna cum laude, in 2002.
Area D.C. COURTS
TOVAH R. CALDERON
Nominated to the District of Columbia Court docket of Appeals
Tovah R. Calderon at the moment serves as an Acting Deputy Assistant Lawyer Normal in the U.S. Section of Justice’s Civil Legal rights Division. Ms. Calderon to start with joined the Department of Justice in 2001 as a result of the Lawyer General’s Honors Plan and has held a lot of roles inside of the office. Ahead of her recent depth with the Civil Legal rights Division, Ms. Calderon served as a Deputy Chief in the Division’s Appellate Portion. Ms. Calderon has also served on detail to the White Home Domestic Plan Council, the Civil Legal rights Division’s Coverage and System Section, and the Senate Judiciary Committee. From 2000 to 2001, she served as a regulation clerk for Choose Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as nicely as other judges on equally the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Maryland.
Ms. Calderon acquired her J.D. from the Howard University Faculty of Law in 2000 and her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1995.
KENIA SEOANE LOPEZ
Nominated to the Outstanding Court docket of the District of Columbia
Choose Kenia Seoane Lopez is at the moment a Magistrate Decide on the Remarkable Courtroom of the District of Columbia. Prior to her appointment in 2012, Choose Seoane Lopez served as a Bilingual Attorney Negotiator in the Domestic Violence Division of the District of Columbia Remarkable Court docket from 2009 to 2012. She formerly served as an Assistant Legal professional General in the Authorized Solutions Section of the Boy or girl Help Division in the Office environment of the Legal professional Standard for the District of Columbia from 2005 to 2009. Choose Seoane Lopez served as a legislation clerk to the Justices on the Massachusetts Remarkable Court docket from 2002 to 2003 and Senior Judges on the Remarkable Courtroom of the District of Columbia from 2004 to 2005.
Decide Seoane Lopez acquired her J.D. and M.A. in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Scientific studies from the College of Wisconsin in 2002 and her B.S. from Northeastern University, cum laude, in 1997.
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