WASHINGTON (CN) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced five judicial nominees and two nominations for U.S. attorney.
The announcement brings the total number of judicial nominees during Biden’s tenure to 224 and 76 nominees for U.S. attorneys.
Judge Nancy Maldonado was nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which includes Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. She has been a judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2022.
Maldonado previously worked at Miner, Barnhill & Galland P.C. in Chicago. She received her bachelor's from Harvard University and her law degree from Columbia Law School.
Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, praised Maldonado’s appointment.
“The Leadership Conference is thrilled that President Biden continues to nominate well-qualified judicial nominees who possess critical lived and professional experience that is greatly needed in our federal courts,” Zwarensteyn said.
U.S. Attorney Georgia Alexakis was nominated for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where she currently works.
Alexakis previously worked at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, and Bartlit Beck Herman LLP. She received her bachelor's from Harvard University and her law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats representing Illinois, applauded the appointments of Maldonado and Alexakis.
“These two Illinoisans have the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction,” the senators said. “We look forward to their nominations being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate and urge our colleagues to support them.”
U.S. Attorney Krissa Lanham was nominated for the District of Arizona, where she has worked since 2009. She received her bachelor's and law degree from Yale University.
Magistrate Judge Angela Martinez was nominated for the District of Arizona, where she has been on the bench since last year. She previously served in the district’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Martinez also worked at Farhang & Medcoff PLLC and Lewis and Roca LLP. She received her bachelor's and law degree from the University of Arizona.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Sparkle Sooknanan was nominated for the District Court for the District of Columbia. She has worked at the Department of Justice since 2012.
Sooknanan worked at Jones Day before joining the government. She received her bachelor's from St. Francis College, her master’s from Hofstra University and her law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
Iowa Assistant Attorney General Matthew Gannon was nominated for U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. He’s worked in the state’s Attorney General’s Office since 2007.
Gannon previously worked in private practice at Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, D.C. He received his bachelor's from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the University of Iowa.
David Waterman was nominated as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.
Waterman has worked for Lane & Waterman LLP since 2020. He previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Waterman received his bachelor's from George Washington University, his master's from the University of Cambridge and his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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