Senate Has Now Confirmed 56 Of Biden’s Lower-Court Nominees 

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 24, 2022 – On Wednesday evening, following a marathon of questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in her Supreme Court hearing, Senate Democrats resumed their work of confirming President Biden’s exceptionally well-qualified nominees to the lower courts. All told this week, the Senate has voted to confirm eight more judges, bringing the total number of Biden’s nominees confirmed to 56. 

Among the judges the Senate confirmed was Alison Nathan, who will serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Nathan has served as a U.S. district judge since 2011, when she was confirmed as only the third openly LGBTQ+ federal judge ever. She now has the distinction of being only the second LGBTQ+ woman to serve on an appeals court, following Judge Beth Robinson, who was confirmed just this past fall. In her decade on the court, Judge Nathan has authored 1,546 opinions and has sat by designation on the Second Circuit more than 30 times. She has consistently demonstrated a commitment to equal justice for all, and a commitment to upholding the rule of law. 

The district court judges confirmed this week were: 

• Ruth Bermudez Montenegro (Southern District of California) 
• Victoria Calvert (Northern District of Georgia) 
• Hector Gonzalez (Eastern District of New York)  
• John H. Chun (Western District of Washington)  
• Cristina D. Silva (District of Nevada) 
• Anne Rachel Traum (District of Nevada) 
• Julie Rubin (District of Maryland)

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

“It cannot be overstated how much work Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are doing to improve our justice system by confirming more of these well-qualified lower court judges. It is incredibly impressive that Leader Schumer was able to ensure these votes took place, even as Judge Jackson’s Supreme Court hearing was under way.  

“With each of these votes, our courts better reflect the people they serve with judges who bring essential professional and demographic diversity to the bench. It’s particularly notable how few members of the LGBTQ+ community currently serve on our courts.  We are fighting hard to change that and are confident the confirmation of Alison Nathan, like Beth Robinson before her, will blaze a path forward.”