Biden nominates Judge Florence Pan for appellate court seat vacated by Ketanji Brown Jackson

President Joe Biden has nominated D.C. District Court Judge Florence Y. Pan to a seat in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

If confirmed, Pan would be the first Chinese American to serve on the influential D.C. Circuit. She would replace Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is set to be a U. S. Supreme Court Justice. In 2021, Pan took Jackson’s seat in the U.S. District Court for D.C. when she became an appellate judge.

The 55-year-old public servant, who spent nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor, was first nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2016. She failed to take the seat after her nomination was blocked by Republican senators.

Under Biden, the U.S. Senate confirmed Pan’s nomination to the D.C. District Court last year with a 68-30 vote.

During her 12-year term as a Superior Court judge, Pan handled several sensitive trials and also supported the D.C. attorney general.

The nominations of both Pan and Jackson are part of the Biden administration’s initiative to elevate more women and people of color to the federal judiciary.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, acting president A.B. Cruz III, referred to Pan in a statement as “a leader in the Asian Pacific American community” with “a stellar record.”

According to Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D, DC), Pan “brings much-needed diversity to the federal circuit courts, especially at a time when Asian Americans are being attacked.”

Featured Image via Senator Durbin

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