Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings Resume During Lame Duck Session 

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 15, 2022 – Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to continue advancing the many diverse and experienced legal minds who President Biden has nominated to serve as federal judges. These nominees can and should advance to confirmation by the full Senate before the end of the lame duck session. 

Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, brings nearly two decades of experience serving as a judge. She began serving on the City of Columbia’s Municipal Court in 2004, and she has served on South Carolina’s Fifth Judicial Circuit since 2011. Prior to her time as a judge, she had experience prosecuting cases that involved violence against women and children and representing employees in racial discrimination cases against their employers. Judge Benjamin would be the second woman of color to serve on the Fourth Circuit. 

Judge Todd E. Edelman, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, has served on the Superior Court of D.C. since 2010, currently serving as Deputy Presiding Judge of its Civil Division. Edelman also brings experience as a public defender, a clinical law professor, and a labor attorney.  

Judge Myong Joun, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, has serve as an Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court since 2014, where he has presided over approximately 140 trials. Not only does Judge Joun bring rare experience as a veteran to the bench, but he has also dedicated his career to criminal defense and civil rights. 

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

“The Senate has not even been back in session for 24 hours and we are already seeing a burst of momentum. This morning we heard from two incredible panels, including from several nominees who have already proven their judicial temperament through years of service on their respective courts. Our federal courts should not have to wait to see these distinguished jurists take their new positions. We look forward to seeing them advanced out of committee and confirmed by the full Senate before this Congress ends.”