WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden nominated another four federal judges on Wednesday, including two women of Asian descent who would be the first such U.S. judges on their court or in their state.
The Senate, which Biden’s fellow Democrats narrowly control, must approve the candidates, who were nominated to posts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., according to a White House statement.
If confirmed, District of Columbia Court of Appeals Judge Loren AliKhan would be the first South Asian woman on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the only Asian American Pacific Islander on the court.
Susan DeClercq, currently Ford Motor Co’s director and special investigations counsel, would be the first East Asian federal judge in the state if confirmed for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Democrats control the U.S. Senate 51-49 but the long absence of Dianne Feinstein, who sits on the Judiciary committee, has reduced their majority in the chamber to 50.
Republicans had blocked Democrats’ efforts to temporarily replace her on the committee, which approves federal judges before they go for a vote before the full Senate.
Feinstein, 89, has not voted in the Senate since mid-February amid a bout with shingles and has announced her retirement when her term ends in 2024. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with the California Democrat on Monday and is hopeful she will return next week, Politico said on Tuesday citing a copy of notes Schumer held during a news conference.
So far, the Senate has confirmed 122 of Biden’s nominees to lifetime posts on the federal courts, according to the White House.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
