Biden Nominates Two LGBTQ+ Women To Federal Judiciary

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Both nominees “continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” the White House said in a statement released this morning. 

President Biden’s latest round of judicial nominations includes two out LGBTQ+ women. 

Justice Beth Robinson, a nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, is currently the first out LGBTQ+ judge on the Vermont Supreme Court, where she has served since 2011. Prior to joining the court, Robinson was a civil litigator with the law firm Langrock Sperry & Wool, and also represented LGBTQ+ persons in both civil and civil rights’ cases. 

If confirmed to the Second Circuit, Robinson would become the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve on the federal circuit court. 

Charlotte Sweeney, the nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, would become the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve on a district court west of the Mississippi. She is currently a partner at Sweeney and Bechtold, LLC, and focuses on employment law cases. 

Both nominees “continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” the White House said in a statement released this morning

The President also nominated Mary Katherine Dimke, currently a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.

The latest round is the President’s sixth set of nominations for federal judicial positions. Biden and Senate Democrats are currently outpacing the President’s recent predecessors in seating federal judges this early in his term, according to the AP. Eight federal judges have been confirmed since Biden took office in January, compared to four at this time during the previous administration. 

Biden’s picks have also been more diverse than that of the previous administration. They include Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Washington federal appeals court, and Tiffany Cunningham, who is the first Black woman to serve on the court of appeals in Washington D.C. 


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