President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate eight individuals to Article III judgeships on Sept. 8. With the addition of these eight, Biden has nominated a total of 41 individuals to Article III judgeships since the start of his term. To date, nine of Biden’s nominees have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The nominees announced on Sept. 8 are:
- Lucy H. Koh, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Gabriel Sanchez, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Holly Thomas, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- Katherine Menendez, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- David Herrera Urias, to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
- Jennifer L. Thurston, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- Hernan D. Vera, to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
As of Sept. 1, there were 82 Article III vacancies in the federal judiciary of 870 total Article III judgeships. These judges serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. They are appointed for life terms. A vacancy occurs when a judge resigns, retires, takes senior status, or passes away.
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