Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Nominated September 20, 2021 (appeared in committee December 1, 2021)

As one of the nation’s premier civil rights attorneys, Dale Ho has spent his career fighting for our most critical constitutional rights and legal protections and is eminently qualified to serve as a federal judge.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Nominated January 19, 2022 (appeared in committee April 27, 2022)

Natasha Merle is a civil rights champion who has dedicated the majority of her legal career to public interest law and public defense, having served as the Deputy Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and as an assistant federal public defender. Judges with such civil rights backgrounds remain severely underrepresented on our courts, making Merle a significant and historic nominee.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

Nominated January 19, 2022 (appeared in committee May 25, 2022)

Tiffany M. Cartwright is a partner at MacDonald Hoague & Bayless. She has notably dedicated her career to civil rights litigation — in particular, cases in which the state government has unlawfully burdened citizens for exercising their constitutional rights, as well as employment discrimination and wrongful conviction cases.

Nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Nominated May 25, 2022 (appeared in committee June 22, 2022)

Rachel Bloomekatz has briefed and argued cases on a broad range of issues, including voting rights, consumers’ and workers’ rights, and gun safety. Bloomekatz’s previous private and public sector roles include serving as a clerk to former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Nominated August 1, 2022 (appeared in committee September 21, 2022)

The current U.S. Litigation Director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Julie Rikelman is a veteran civil rights litigator known for her work protecting reproductive rights in state and federal courts throughout the country. She also spent a decade in various corporate litigation practices.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Nominated September 2, 2022 (appeared in committee December 13, 2022)

Casey Pitts has spent most of his career litigating complex labor law cases including employment discrimination actions and cases to establish and preserve collective bargaining for workers. Should he be confirmed, he would be the only openly LGBTQ+ Article III judge actively serving on the District Court for the Northern District of California.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Nominated July 29, 2022 (appeared in committee December 13, 2022)

Judge Joun, a veteran and immigrant who has dedicated his career to criminal defense and civil rights, is currently an Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Nominated January 19, 2022 (appeared in committee April 27, 2022)

A dedicated civil rights and civil liberties attorney, Ms. Choudhury has spent her career advocating for equal justice under the law. If confirmed, Ms. Choudhury will become the first Muslim-American woman and the first Bangladeshi American to serve as a federal judge.

Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

CONFIRMED on February 15, 2023

Adrienne Nelson previously served on the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon and has extensive experience in public defense and on the bench. When confirmed on February 15, 2023, she became the first Black woman to serve in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

CONFIRMED on February 28, 2023

Jamal N. Whitehead was previously a trial attorney at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, where he regularly represented victims of workplace discrimination and unfair labor practices. Whitehead, who uses a prosthetic leg, is the first person with a disability nominated to the federal bench by President Biden. He was confirmed on February 28, 2023.

Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

CONFIRMED on February 28, 2023

Araceli Martinez-Olguin served as one of the nation’s leading immigration attorneys, having spent her entire career advocating for rights of immigrant workers. When she was confirmed on February 28, 2023, Martinez-Olguin would be only the second Latina to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

CONFIRMED on May 15, 2023

After a long wait, Bradley N. Garcia was confirmed to what is often dubbed “the second highest court in the country”, after the Supreme Court. He has served as an appellate litigator in over 50 cases, including significant pro bono work. He is the first Latinx judge to sit on this court since it was established in 1893.

Nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

CONFIRMED May 18, 2023

Nancy Gbana Abudu’s work as a civil rights litigator, focusing on the Voting Rights Act, felon disenfranchisement, and other key issues, has touched every state in the Eleventh Circuit. Upon her confirmation 511 days after she was nominated, she is now the first Black woman on the Circuit and the first person of color from Georgia to serve on that court.

Image via Southern Poverty Law Center