AFJ Applauds Eighteenth Slate of Judicial Nominees 

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 25, 2022 – Today President Biden announced three new nominations to the nation’s circuit courts, including a nominee to succeed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, often considered the second highest court in the land.  

Judge Florence Y. Pan, nominated to the D.C. Circuit, has served on the U.S. District Court for D.C. since last year, having been the first AAPI woman ever to serve on that court. She had previously served as an Associate Judge on D.C.’s Superior Court since 2009. Prior to that, she had nearly three decades of legal experience in both criminal and financial law.  

Rachel S. Bloomekatz, nominated to the Sixth Circuit, brings extensive experience in economic justice law. She most recently has run her own solo practice, but her experience also includes clerking for Judge Guido Calabresi on the Second Circuit (2008–2009) and Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court (2011–2012). 

Judge Doris L. Pryor, nominated to the Seventh Circuit, has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana since 2018. She is a former prosecutor who also brings experience as a public defender. If confirmed, she will be Indiana’s first judge of color to serve on the Seventh Circuit. 

Alliance for Justice President Rakim H.D. Brooks issued the following statement: 

“Once again, the White House has identified three highly-qualified women to serve on our courts of appeal. Each nomination brings us one step closer to not only filling all of our federal vacancies, but filling them with highly-qualified jurists who add to the professional and demographic diversity of our courts. Ms. Bloomekatz’s experience fighting for economic justice, in particular, will be invaluable to the Sixth Circuit as it considers cases impacting consumers and workers. We trust the Senate to swiftly consider and confirm these nominees to ensure we leave no vacancy unfilled by the end of this year.”