President Joe Biden announced four new judicial nominees on Thursday. One nominee, Julia Lipez, currently a Maine state court judge, is the daughter of Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez. She has been nominated to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where her father serves. Kermit Lipez plans to retire if the Senate confirms his daughter, creating an opportunity for her to join the court. Judge Kermit Lipez joined the court in 1998 after an appointment by former President Bill Clinton.
Biden’s second nominee for a federal appeals court is Tennessee lawyer Karla Campbell, who has been nominated for a seat on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Campbell previously clerked for U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, whom she has been nominated to succeed. Stranch decided to step down from active service once the Senate confirms a successor. Campbell currently practices as a labor lawyer at the Nashville law firm Stranch Jennings & Garvey, which spun out from Judge Stranch’s previous firm. Stranch’s husband and daughter also practice at the firm.
This nomination comes amidst opposition from Tennessee’s two Republican senators, including Senate Judiciary Committee member Marsha Blackburn. Both senators have previously opposed Biden’s nominations for Tennessee seats on the 6th Circuit, arguing that the White House selected nominees without sufficient consultation. Blackburn reiterated her objections, accusing the White House of making a “backroom deal” to place Judge Stranch’s former law clerk in her seat. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, emphasizing that consultation does not equate to a veto. Bates stated that the White House considered multiple names for the vacancy and reviewed suggestions from the senators.
In addition to the appellate court nominees, Biden also nominated two public defenders for district court positions. Catherine Henry has been nominated to serve in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Mary Kay Lanthier has been nominated to serve in Vermont.
These nominations followed the Senate’s confirmation of Biden’s 201st judicial nominee, surpassing the number of court appointments made by former President Donald Trump at this point in his presidency. Biden has appointed 42 judges to the nation’s 13 federal appeals courts, with four additional circuit court nominees pending in the Senate.
