On February 14th, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s 100th judge to the federal bench. This is a remarkable accomplishment. With a total of 105 confirmations, the Biden administration has had more judges confirmed at this point in his term than during the Trump, Obama, and Bush administrations. President Biden has made important progress in ensuring that the federal judiciary not only looks more like the nation as a whole, but also includes judges from professional backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented on the bench.
In the couple of weeks leading up to the current recess, we saw many historic confirmations. For example, Gina Méndez-Miró, Biden’s 100th confirmed judge, will be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to join the District Court for Puerto Rico. Cindy Chung will be the first Asian American judge to serve on the Third Circuit. Daniel Calabretta will be first openly LGBTQ+ judge to serve on the Eastern District of California. Ana Reyes will be the first Latina and openly LGBTQ+ person to serve on the D.C. District Court.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing. Among others, the lineup included Marian Gaston (S.D. Cal.), Mónica Ramírez Almadani (C.D. Cal.), and Jeffrey Irvine Cummings (N.D. Ill.). We celebrate Chairman Durbin and the entire SJC for expeditiously moving nominations. We look forward to the White House continuing to nominate highly qualified, demographically, and professionally diverse candidates to fill the remaining 110 federal court vacancies. Additionally, while some attendance issues loom, there are 32 nominees awaiting a full Senate vote. We are eager to see Senate leadership continue to prioritize confirmations in the months ahead.
