President Biden Names Seventh Spherical of Judicial Nominees

The President is announcing 8 new candidates for the federal bench, all of whom are extraordinarily competent, experienced, and devoted to the rule of legislation and our Constitution.

These choices also go on to fulfill the President’s assure to assure that the nation’s courts replicate the variety that is just one of our biggest assets as a nation — equally in terms of particular and professional backgrounds.

For case in point, this slate contains:

• 3 new Latino judicial nominees with diverse specialist encounters.
• A nominee who would be the first Korean-American lady to provide as a federal appellate judge and the next AAPI female to provide on the Ninth Circuit from California.
• A nominee who would be the initially Black girl to serve on the Ninth Circuit from California, as properly as the second Black lady to at any time serve on the Ninth Circuit.
• A nominee who would be the only energetic Black girl district court judge in any of California’s four federal district courts.

This is President Biden’s seventh spherical of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the variety of introduced federal judicial nominees to 43.

President Biden has put in decades dedicated to strengthening the federal bench, which is why he continues to go speedily to fill judicial vacancies.

CIRCUIT COURTS

Decide Lucy H. Koh: Nominee for the United States Court docket of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Choose Lucy H. Koh has served as a U.S. District Court Decide for the Northern District of California considering that 2010.  Prior to her affirmation as a federal decide, Decide Koh served as a California Superior Court docket Choose for Santa Clara County from 2008 to 2010. From 2002 to 2008, she worked as a lover in the Palo Alto, California business of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, the place she specialised in patent, trade secret, and industrial civil litigation. From 2000 to 2002, she labored as a senior associate in the Palo Alto, California business office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.  Before her time in non-public follow, Judge Koh expended 7 yrs doing work for the U.S. Department of Justice.  She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Prison Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Business for the Central District of California from 1997 to 2000 as Exclusive Assistant to the Deputy Legal professional Common from 1996 to 1997 and as Unique Counsel in the Place of work of Legislative Affairs from 1994 to 1996. She was awarded, among numerous recognitions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis J. Freeh Award for Demonstrated Excellence in Prosecuting a Significant Fraud Situation. Decide Koh commenced her authorized career as a Women’s Legislation and Public Policy Fellow for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 1994.

Judge Koh received her J.D. from Harvard Regulation School in 1993, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 1990. 

Justice Gabriel P. Sanchez: Nominee for the United States Court docket of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Justice Gabriel P. Sanchez has served as an Associate Justice on the California Court of Attractiveness, 1st Appellate District considering the fact that 2018.  Prior to getting appointed to the bench, Justice Sanchez worked for seven a long time in California state federal government.  From 2012 to 2018, he labored as Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary to Governor Edmund Brown and from 2011 to 2012, he worked as a Deputy Legal professional Standard in the Correctional Legislation Segment of the California Attorney General’s Workplace.  Ahead of his tenure in condition governing administration, Justice Sanchez was an affiliate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP from 2006 to 2011, where he litigated a wide variety of civil litigation matters at the demo and appellate concentrations.  He also had an energetic pro bono practice and gained the ACLU of Southern California’s Social Justice Award in 2010 for his endeavours to enforce and increase warmth disease protection protections for farm staff.  Justice Sanchez served as a law clerk for Choose Richard A. Paez on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2005 to 2006.

Justice Sanchez gained his J.D. from Yale Regulation School in 2005 his M. Phil. in European Reports from the College of Cambridge in 2000 and his B.A., cum laude, from Yale College in 1998. Justice Sanchez was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Decide Holly A. Thomas: Nominee for the United States Court docket of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Judge Holly A. Thomas has served as a choose in the Family Law Division of the Los Angeles County Excellent Courtroom considering that 2018. Prior to staying appointed to the bench, Decide Thomas was the Deputy Director of Government Programs at the California Section of Good Work and Housing from 2016 to 2018. From 2015 to 2016, Choose Thomas was a particular counsel to the New York Solicitor Normal, and from 2010 to 2015, she was an appellate legal professional in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. As an appellate litigator, she represented clientele on about two dozen instances in advance of the federal courts of appeals or the U.S. Supreme Courtroom, and in in excess of a dozen issues prior to state courts. She has argued circumstances right before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the To start with, Next, Fourth, Fifth and Ninth Circuits, as effectively as point out appellate courts. In 2014, Choose Thomas was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Remarkable Support. From 2005 to 2010, Judge Thomas labored as an Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Authorized Defense and Academic Fund, the place she was a Liman Fellow from 2005 to 2006.  Judge Thomas served as a law clerk for Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2004 to 2005.

Judge Thomas acquired her J.D. from Yale Legislation Faculty in 2004, and her B.A., with honors and distinction, from Stanford University in 2000.

DISTRICT COURTS

Decide Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong: Nominee for the United States District Court docket for the Central District of California

Choose Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong has served as a decide on the Los Angeles County Top-quality Courtroom considering the fact that 2016.  From 2015 to 2016, she served as Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of the Millennium Challenge Company.  From 2007 to 2015, Choose Frimpong labored for the U.S. Office of Justice, serving in several positions, which includes as Counselor to the Legal professional Basic, Principal Deputy Affiliate Attorney Basic, Deputy Assistant Legal professional Basic for the Civil Division’s Client Defense Department, and other positions. Prior to joining the Division of Justice, Choose Frimpong worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco from 2002 to 2007. Choose Frimpong served as a law clerk for Decide Stephen Reinhardt on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002.  Decide Frimpong received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2001 and her A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1997.

Decide Katherine Marie Menendez: Nominee for the United States District Courtroom for the District of Minnesota

Decide Katherine Marie Menendez has served as a U.S. Magistrate Decide for the District of Minnesota due to the fact 2016.  She earlier served in the Place of work of the Federal Defender for the District of Minnesota from 1997 to 2016.  Choose Menendez joined the place of work in 1997 through a fellowship program and grew to become an Assistant Federal Defender in 1999.  As an Assistant Federal Defender, Decide Menendez two times argued ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court docket.  Choose Menendez served a legislation clerk for Judge Sam Ervin, III on the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1996 to 1997.  She acquired her J.D. from New York University Law Faculty in 1996 and her B.A. from the College of Chicago in 1993.

Choose Jennifer L. Thurston: Nominee for the United States District Court docket for the Jap District of California

Choose Jennifer L. Thurston has served as a U.S. Magistrate Decide in the Eastern District of California considering the fact that 2009, and as Chief U.S. Justice of the peace Judge for the district considering that October 2020.  She previously served as a Deputy County Counsel for the Business office of County Counsel in Bakersfield, California from 1997 to 2009, where she handled civil matters, which includes litigation and appeals.  Choose Thurston received her LL.M from Duke University in 2018, her J.D. from California Pacific Faculty of Law in 1997, and her B.S. from California Condition College in 1989.

David Herrera Urias: Nominee for the United States District Courtroom for the District of New Mexico

David Herrera Urias has been an attorney at Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias & Ward, P.A. in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 2008.  Mr. Urias was previously a workers attorney at the Mexican American Authorized Defense and Education Fund in San Antonio, Texas, from 2004 to 2008.  From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Urias was an associate at Fried, Frank, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP in New York City. Mr. Urias served as a regulation clerk for Choose Vanessa Ruiz on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals from 2001 to 2002.  He received his J.D., cum laude, from the College of New Mexico Faculty of Law in 2001 and his B.A. from the College of New Mexico in 1997.

Decide Hernán D. Vera: Nominee for the United States District Court docket for the Central District of California

Judge Hernán D. Vera has served as a choose on the Los Angeles County Exceptional Court due to the fact 2020.  He earlier worked as a principal at Chook Marella P.C. from 2015 to 2020.  From 2002 to 2014, Choose Vera labored for Community Counsel, the greatest professional bono general public desire regulation company in the nation, initially as a directing legal professional and afterwards as president and CEO.  From 1997 to 2002 and 1994 to 1995, Choose Vera worked as an associate and counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP.  He labored as a staff members legal professional for the Mexican American Authorized Defense and Instructional Fund from 1996 to 1997.  Decide Vera served as a regulation clerk for Choose Consuelo B. Marshall on the U.S. District Court docket for the Central District of California from 1995 to 1996.  He been given his J.D. from UCLA University of Regulation in 1994 and his B.A., with difference, from Stanford University in 1991.

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