President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations

As he carries on to go at an historic tempo with regard to judicial nominees, the President is asserting 5 new candidates for the federal bench and two new candidates for District of Columbia courts, all of whom are extraordinarily skilled, knowledgeable, and devoted to the rule of regulation and our Constitution.

These options also proceed to satisfy the President’s promise to make certain that the nation’s courts mirror the variety that is one particular of our greatest belongings as a state — each in conditions of individual and experienced backgrounds.

For instance, this slate incorporates:

• A nationally-recognized chief on voting legal rights who would be the only Latina serving on the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
• A former public defender and latest civil legal rights plaintiff’s lawyer who would be the second African American female judge actively serving on the District Courtroom for the District of Columbia
• A federal prosecutor who would be the 1st choose of South Asian descent to serve on the District Court docket for the District of Connecticut
• A Division of Justice law firm with two a long time of civil rights encounter, including as Deputy Main of the Appellate Segment in the Civil Rights Division
• A justice of the peace decide on the D.C. Excellent Court docket with deep working experience in domestic violence and household regulation troubles

This is President Biden’s fourth round of names for federal judicial positions, bringing the amount of introduced federal judicial nominees to 24.

President Biden has used decades dedicated to strengthening the federal bench, which is why he proceeds to move at an unparalleled speed with regard to judicial nominations. His initially judicial nominations announcement was built more rapidly than that of any new President in contemporary American background, and today’s announcement proceeds that pattern.

CIRCUIT Courtroom

MYRNA PÉREZ
Nominated to the United States Courtroom of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Myrna Pérez is the director of the Brennan Center’s Voting Rights and Elections Software at the New York College (NYU) Faculty of Law. Ms. Pérez joined the Brennan Middle in 2006. She has also been a lecturer-in-legislation at Columbia Regulation College considering the fact that 2016. She formerly served as an Adjunct Professor of Scientific Regulation at NYU School of Law from 2013 to 2015. Prior to becoming a member of the Brennan Centre, Ms. Pérez was a Civil Rights Fellow at Relman, Dane & Colfax, a civil rights regulation organization in Washington, D.C., from 2005 to 2006. Ms. Pérez served as a legislation clerk for Judge Anita B. Brody on the U.S. District Court docket 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 received her J.D. from Columbia Legislation Faculty in 2003, her M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy Faculty in 1998, and her B.A. from Yale College in 1996. Prior to legislation school, she was a Presidential Management Fellow, serving as a policy analyst for the U.S. Authorities Accountability Workplace on challenges which includes housing and health and fitness treatment. 

DISTRICT COURTS

SARAH A. L. MERRIAM
Nominated to the United States District Court docket 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 given that 2015. Formerly, she served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Connecticut from 2007 to 2015. Decide Merriam worked on political strategies in Connecticut from 2006 to 2007. She was an affiliate at the Connecticut-primarily based regulation company Cowdery, Ecker & Murphy from 2003 to 2006. Choose Merriam served as a regulation clerk for Judge Thomas Meskill on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Next Circuit from 2002 to 2003 and for Decide Alvin Thompson on the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Connecticut from 2000 to 2002.

Choose Merriam been given an LLM from Duke Law Faculty in 2018, her J.D. from Yale Law University 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 Major Crimes Device in the U.S. Attorney’s Place of work in the District of Connecticut, a part she has held since 2017. Ms. Nagala joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office environment in 2012, and has served in a quantity of leadership roles in the workplace, such as as Dislike Crimes Coordinator. Earlier, Ms. Nagala was an associate at Munger, Tolles, & Olson in San Francisco, California from 2009 to 2012. She began her lawful career as a law clerk for Decide Susan Graber on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009.

Ms. Nagala been given her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley Faculty of Regulation in 2008 and her B.A. from Stanford University in 2005. 

OMAR A. WILLIAMS
Nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut

Decide Omar A. Williams has served as a Superior Court docket Judge in Hartford, Connecticut considering that 2016. In that job, Decide Williams has served on the New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative, the Sentence Assessment Division, and the Wiretap Panel. He was formerly a Excellent Courtroom Decide in New London from 2014 to 2016. Prior to his appointment as a condition court choose, Decide Williams was an Assistant Community Defender for the Condition of Connecticut Division of Community Defender Providers from 2003 to 2014. 

Choose Williams received his J.D. from the University 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 spouse at Relman Colfax, exactly where she has practiced considering the fact that 2012. Her plaintiff-aspect litigation apply focuses on fair housing, disability discrimination, work discrimination, and scenarios at the intersection of civil rights and prison justice. Ms. Cobb taught demo advocacy as an adjunct professor at American College Washington University of Legislation in 2011 and was a faculty member at Harvard Legislation School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop in 2010 and 2011. Prior to her time in non-public exercise, Ms. Cobb served as a trial lawyer at the Community Defender Assistance for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2012. She started her lawful vocation as a legislation clerk for Decide Diane Wooden on the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2005 to 2006.

Ms. Cobb obtained a J.D. from Harvard Legislation College, cum laude, in 2005 and a B.A. from Northwestern University, magna cum laude, in 2002. 

Local D.C. COURTS

TOVAH R. CALDERON
Nominated to the District of Columbia Court docket of Appeals

Tovah R. Calderon at this time serves as an Acting Deputy Assistant Legal professional General in the U.S. Office of Justice’s Civil Legal rights Division. Ms. Calderon to start with joined the Division of Justice in 2001 by the Legal professional General’s Honors Method and has held a lot of roles within the division. Prior to her present depth with the Civil Legal rights Division, Ms. Calderon served as a Deputy Main in the Division’s Appellate Part. Ms. Calderon has also served on element to the White Property Domestic Plan Council, the Civil Legal rights Division’s Coverage and Method Section, and the Senate Judiciary Committee. From 2000 to 2001, she served as a law clerk for Decide Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as properly as other judges on both equally the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Ms. Calderon obtained her J.D. from the Howard College School of Regulation in 2000 and her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1995. 

KENIA SEOANE LOPEZ
Nominated to the Remarkable Court docket of the District of Columbia

Decide Kenia Seoane Lopez is at this time a Justice of the peace Choose on the Superior Court docket of the District of Columbia. Prior to her appointment in 2012, Judge Seoane Lopez served as a Bilingual Legal professional Negotiator in the Domestic Violence Division of the District of Columbia Excellent Court from 2009 to 2012. She previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Legal Products and services Section of the Boy or girl Assist 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 law clerk to the Justices on the Massachusetts Superior Court from 2002 to 2003 and Senior Judges on the Top-quality Court of the District of Columbia from 2004 to 2005.

Choose Seoane Lopez obtained her J.D. and M.A. in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Experiments from the College of Wisconsin in 2002 and her B.S. from Northeastern University, cum laude, in 1997.  

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