Senate confirms first Black woman to conservative 5th Circuit Court
Dana Douglas is one of a handful of nominees that President Joe Biden has picked to fill vacancies in states with two Republican senators.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Dana Douglas of Louisiana is making history as the first Black woman to serve on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
President Joe Biden nominated Douglas in June to fill an opening left by 86-year-old Judge James Dennis who took “senior status” last year, Reuters reports. Biden selected Douglas as one of his judicial federal nominees to fill vacancies in states with two Republican senators.
The New Orleans-based court hears appellate cases from lower federal courts in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, according to Reuters. Twelve of the 16 active court judges are the appointees of Republican presidents, while four are appointees of Democratic presidents, including Douglas. There is currently a 17th vacant spot on the court, according to multiple news reports.
Louisiana Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy supported Douglas who was confirmed by a 65-31 Senate vote, making her the president’s first appointment to the 5th Circuit.
Fox News reports that Cassidy issued a statement saying Douglas will serve “with honor and integrity.”
Douglas, who has served as a magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana since 2019, also received support from several Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans. On Sept. 15, the committee voted 16-6 in favor of her nomination. Before joining the bench, she was a partner at the law firm Liskow & Lewis, Bloomberg reports.
Tuesday’s historic vote for Douglas marked another milestone in the Black Girl Magic movement, coming after the U.S. Senate confirmed Delaware Supreme Court Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves’ nomination to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Reuters reports.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently noted on the Senate floor that 51% of Biden’s confirmed judicial nominees have been women of color, theGrio reported. A record 11 Black women have been appointed as federal appellate judges under Biden — the most of any president.
In total, 97 of Biden’s judicial nominations have been confirmed by the Senate. Part of his administration’s agenda is to send more liberal judges to the federal courts.
“Joe Biden is going to have the opportunity to appoint judges that will rule favorably on issues of human and civil rights [and] issues of health care expansion,” said Svante Myrick, executive director at People For the American Way, told theGrio.
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