WASHINGTON (CN) — President Joe Biden nominated two Latina women on Friday to open seats on federal appellate courts, with one of the appointments marking a first for the conservative Fifth Circuit.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez has been nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which handles cases from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit is considered the most conservative U.S. Court of Appeals. Earlier this week it made headlines for a ruling that threatens the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone. The Justice Department is already seeking Supreme Court intervention in that case.
Since 2002, Ramirez has been a magistrate judge for the Northern District of Texas. She previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the district for seven years, following four years in private practice.
Seven years ago, then-President Barack Obama nominated Ramirez for a district judgeship in the Northern District of Texas. Republicans who controlled the Senate at that time let the nomination expire.
Ramirez received her bachelor's degree from West Texas State University and later graduated from the Southern Methodist University School of Law. The White House said she would be the first Hispanic woman to serve in the position and the only active Hispanic judge in the Fifth Circuit.
Alliance For Justice touted Ramirez's latest appointment, as well as Biden's nomination of U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba to an open Ninth Circuit seat.
The judicial advocacy group said their confirmation would bring “important diversity to the federal bench that has been particularly lacking.”
“It’s encouraging to see these accomplished Latina judges receiving these promotions,” Kimberly Humphrey, the organization’s legal director for federal courts, said in a statement Friday. “They are a reminder of the brilliance and experience that exists in so many diverse communities but is so often unrecognized. This is a step in the right direction to address how very far behind we are in ensuring Latinx representation on our courts, particularly in regions with significant Latinx populations like these two circuits"
De Alba has presided at the Eastern District of California only since 2022, but she previously served on the Fresno County Superior Court for four years after 11 years in private practice.
She received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she had also studied as an undergrad. De Alba would be the fourth Hispanic woman to serve in the Ninth Circuit, which is the country's largest and busiest federal court of appeals, handling cases from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
“These choices also 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.
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