Joe Biden

Press Release - President Biden Names Twenty-Third Round of Judicial Nominees

July 14, 2022

The President is announcing the nominations of four new federal judicial nominees, his intent to nominate a fifth federal judicial nominee, and three nominees for local courts in the District of Columbia—all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.

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.

For example, if confirmed, this slate would include:

  • The first Black woman to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

This is President Biden’s twenty-third round of nominees for federal judicial positions and his tenth slate of nominations in 2022, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 123.

President Biden has spent decades committed to strengthening the federal bench, which is why he continues to move rapidly to fill judicial vacancies. And he has won confirmation of the most lower court judges for the first year of a presidency since the Kennedy Administration.

District Court – Press Bios

  1. Matthew L. Garcia: Candidate for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico

Matthew L. Garcia has served in the Office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as Chief of Staff from 2020 to 2022 and General Counsel from 2019 to 2020. From 2012 to 2018, he was a partner at Garcia Ives Nowara in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from 2009 to 2012, he was a partner at Bach & Garcia in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Garcia had his own solo practice from 2008 to 2009. From 2006-2008 Mr. Garcia was an associate at Freedman Boyd Daniels Hollander Goldberg & Ives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Garcia received his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2005, an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2003, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of New Mexico in 1999.

  1. Lindsay C. Jenkins: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois—Intent to Nominate

Lindsay C. Jenkins is a partner at Cooley LLP in Chicago, Illinois, where she has worked since 2021. She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2006 to 2021. Ms. Jenkins was previously an associate at Jones Day from 2004 to 2006. She served as a law clerk for Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio from 2002 to 2004. Ms. Jenkins received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, in 2002 and her B.A. from Miami University of Ohio in 1998.

  1. Justice Adrienne C. Nelson: Candidate for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon

Justice Adrienne C. Nelson has served as an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court since 2018. From 2006 to 2018, Justice Nelson served as a trial judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Justice Nelson worked as a senior attorney for Portland State University from 2004 to 2006, and she was in private practice at Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan from 2004 to 2006. From 1996 to 1999, Justice Nelson was a public defender with Multnomah Defenders, Inc. Justice Nelson received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law at Austin in 1993 and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1989.

  1. Judge Andrew G. Schopler: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California

Judge Andrew G. Schopler has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California since 2016. From 2004 to 2016, Judge Schopler was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He worked at Rudolf and Maher in Chapel Hill, North Carolina from 1998 to 2004 He was a solo practitioner from 1997 to 1998. Judge Schopler received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1997 and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1994. He has served in the United States Army Reserve and California Army National Guard since 2014.

  1. Judge James Edward Simmons Jr: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California

Judge James Edward Simmons Jr. has been a judge on the California Superior Court since 2017. He is currently the Supervising Judge of the North County Branch of the San Diego Superior Court. From 2006 to 2017, he was a Deputy District Attorney in the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. In 2005, Judge Simmons was a Deputy City Attorney in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. Judge Simmons received his J.D from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2004 and B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001.

D.C. Court of Appeals

  1. Vijay Shanker: Candidate for D.C Court of Appeals

Vijay Shanker is the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice, where he has worked since 2005. He was previously Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division and Senior Litigation Counsel in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section at the Department of Justice. Mr. Shanker was an associate at Mayer Brown from 2004 to 2005 and at Covington & Burling from 1999 to 2000 and 2001 to 2004. He served as a law clerk for Judge Chester J. Straub on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2000 to 2001. Mr. Shanker received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999 and his B.A., cum laude, from Duke University in 1994.

D.C. Superior Court

  1. Laura Crane: Candidate for D.C. Superior Court

Laura Crane has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia since 2014. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Ms. Crane was a senior associate at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C. from 2013 to 2014 and a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine, and Moore in New York City from 2010 to 2012. She served as a law clerk for the Judge James E. Boasberg on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2012 to 2013. Ms. Crane received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the Washington University School of Law om 2009 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University in 2003.

  1. Veronica Sanchez: Candidate for the D.C. Superior Court

Veronica Sanchez is an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, a role she has held since 2009. Ms. Sanchez was a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2002 to 2009. She served as a law clerk for Judge Melvin Brunetti on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002 and for Judge Edward C. Reed on the United States District Court for the District of Nevada from 1999 to 2001. Ms. Sanchez received her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1999 and her B.A. from Duke University in 1996.

Joseph R. Biden, Press Release - President Biden Names Twenty-Third Round of Judicial Nominees Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/357007

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