President Joe Biden released his first list of federal judicial nominees on Tuesday, including three appeals court candidates.
The list includes Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would replace Attorney General Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The D.C. Circuit is known to be the second-highest court in the nation and often leads to the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” Biden wrote in a news readout.
BIDEN TAPS KETANJI BROWN JACKSON TO REPLACE MERRICK GARLAND ON FEDERAL APPEALS COURT
Biden set out his presidential campaign with the intent of nominating a black woman to the Supreme Court. If Jackson is confirmed by the Senate, her appointment would likely be a gateway to her post on the highest court in the land.
“Each [nominee] is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people — and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong,” Biden said.
During his time in the Senate, Biden sat as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He started his presidency with 68 judicial vacancies, including seven appellate court vacancies and 61 district court vacancies.
The first group of nominees comes as Biden seeks to dilute the judicial legacy of former President Donald Trump, under whose administration confirmation of conservative judges was a key priority.
The nominees for district court judges include: Judge Deborah Boardman for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Judge Lydia Griggsby for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Julien Neals for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Judge Florence Y. Pan for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Zahid N. Quraishi for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Regina Rodriguez for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Margaret Strickland for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.
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If all are confirmed, the candidates would include the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history, the first Asian Pacific American woman to serve on the U.S. District Court for D.C., and the first woman of color serving as a federal judge in Maryland.
