Biden has announced his first list of judicial appointees, and they are poised to make history

• President Joe Biden announced his first judicial picks on Tuesday.
• He noted the nominations would boost the diversity of the federal judiciary, with a number of firsts.
• These included the first Black and Muslim Americans on certain courts.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

President Joe Biden announced his first judicial picks on Tuesday, noting that his nominations would boost the diversity of the federal judiciary.

The White House said in a statement: “These highly-qualified candidates reflect the President’s deeply-held conviction that the federal bench should reflect the full diversity of the American people – both in background and in professional experience.”

It continued: “These nominees consist of attorneys who have excelled in the legal field in a wide range of positions, including as renowned jurists, public defenders, prosecutors, in the private sector, in the military, and as public servants at all levels of government.”

The 10 nominees announced included sitting judges, attorneys, and former federal prosecutors, many of whom would make history in their new roles.

They are:

• US District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• Maryland US Magistrate Judge Deborah Boardman to the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
• Judge Lydia Griggsby to the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
• County Counsel and Acting County Administrator for Bergen County, New Jersey, Julien Neals to the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
• Judge Florence Y. Pan to the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
• Former federal public defender and law partner Candace Jackson-Akiwumi to the the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
• Intellectual-property lawyer Tiffany Cunningham to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
• Judge Zahid N. Quraishi to the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
• Law partner Regina Rodriguez to the US District Court for the District of Colorado.
• Law partner Margaret Strickland to the US District Court for the District of New Mexico.
• Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
  

And here are the milestones these appointees would make if approved by the Senate, according to The Washington Post:

• Cunningham would be the first Black judge on the Federal Circuit.
• Jackson-Akiwumi and Cunningham would also be the only Black judges on their respective courts.
• Quraishi would be the first Muslim American on a District Court bench.
• Pan would be the first Asian American woman to serve on her court.
• Griggsby would be the first woman of color to serve on her court.

“This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” Biden said in his statement.

“Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people – and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.”