President Joe Biden (D) nominated six individuals to Article III judgeships with lifetime terms on June 15:
• Myrna Pérez, to the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
• Jia Cobb, to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
• Sarah A.L. Merriam, to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Sarala Nagala, to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Florence Pan, to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
• Omar A. Williams, to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
To date, Biden has nominated 24 individuals to federal judgeships. Five of the nominees have been confirmed. There were 81 Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary as of June 1.
As of his inauguration in January 2021, Biden inherited 46 Article III vacancies: two vacancies in the U.S. courts of appeal, 43 vacancies in the U.S. district courts, and one vacancy on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Biden announced his first federal judicial nominees on March 30.
President Biden also nominated two individuals to Washington, D.C., local courts on June 15:
• Tovah Calderon, to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Kenia Seoane Lopez, to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., has two local courts: the superior court—a trial court of general jurisdiction—and a court of appeals. Justices on these courts are nominated by the U.S. president after recommendation from the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission. They then face confirmation by the U.S. Senate. D.C. judges are appointed to 15-year renewable terms.
Additional reading: