The Senate confirmed Judge Florence Y. Pan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, filling the vacancy left by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson after her confirmation to the Supreme Court earlier this year.
The Senate voted 52-42 to confirm Pan, one of President Joe Biden‘s nominees who has ascended the judiciary ladder in a relatively short amount of time. Pan’s confirmation to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., marks the second time Biden has selected her to fill a seat vacated by Jackson, as she was selected to succeed Jackson as a district court judge in 2021.
As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Pan made history as the first Asian American woman on the federal district court in the District of Columbia with her 2021 confirmation.
BIDEN NOMINATES DC JUDGE TO SUCCEED KETANJI BROWN JACKSON ON APPEALS COURT
Before her judicial career, Pan worked for the Department of Justice from 1995 to 1998, during which time she worked as an attorney in the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section, arguing cases in multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals, including the District of Columbia Circuit, First Circuit, Fifth Circuit, and Ninth Circuit.
Her first judicial nomination came from President Barack Obama, who tapped her to serve on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.
Pan will now head to the D.C. Circuit, considered the second-most important court after the Supreme Court.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) raised the importance of the circuit court position in a statement ahead of the vote, saying that “before this court come disputes that involve Congress and much of the federal government, so many of its decisions involve constitutional or administrative law.”
“It goes without saying that nominees to this court must be individuals of the highest caliber; they need to be experienced, balanced, and above all, committed to the rule of law. That’s exactly what we have in Judge Pan,” Schumer added.
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Eight judges from the circuit have gone on to fulfill roles in the highest court, including Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, Justice Wiley Rutledge, Chief Justice Warren Burger, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Jackson.
Jackson became the most recent high court justice after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement in January, followed by her eventual confirmation by the Senate on April 7.
