President Biden announced seven judicial nominations on Wednesday, including the first Hispanic judge for the Court of Appeals in Washington, the first woman of color for the federal appeals court that covers the Deep South, and a South Asian American woman who fought a GOP challenge of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona.
Mr. Biden tapped Bradley Garcia, 35, for a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considered a steppingstone to the Supreme Court. Mr. Garcia started a job earlier this year as deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first Hispanic judge on the D.C. Circuit Court. In 2003, Senate Democrats blocked Miguel Estrada, the first Hispanic person ever nominated to the powerful federal appeals court, in a battle with Republican President George W. Bush.
Mr. Biden nominated Roopali Desai, a partner with the Phoenix law firm Coppersmith Brockelman, for a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers nine western states. In 2020, Ms. Desai, who is of South Asian descent, represented the Arizona Secretary of State’s office against a Republican challenge of the presidential election results. She described the GOP lawsuit as “an effort to find a problem when one does not exist.”
At the time, Ms. Desai said the Republican Party’s effort could undermine “the entire process and the very hard work of the many, many people who are administering the election … and the voters themselves.” She said the relief sought by the campaign of then-President Trump might not be possible under state law.
Republican officials behind the lawsuit alleged that Maricopa County poll workers “incorrectly rejected” votes cast in person on Election Day. A county lawyer said at the time that the lawsuit involved about 200 votes.
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Mr. Biden also tapped U.S. Magistrate Judge Dana Douglas, a Black woman, for a seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, she would become the first woman of color on that court.
The White House said the new nominees, seven in total, “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.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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