K - Q
Kahn, Maria Araújo
Second Circuit. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 3/9/23.
Maria Araújo Kahn has served as an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court since 2017. From 2006 to 2017, Justice Kahn was a judge on the Connecticut Superior Court. From 1997 to 2006, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Connecticut. From 1993 to 1997, Justice Kahn served as a staff attorney at the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities, and from 1991 to 1993, she was a Deputy Assistant Public Defender in the Division of Public Defender Services. Justice Kahn served as a law clerk for Judge Peter Dorsey on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut from 1989 to 1991.
Justice Kahn received her J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1989 and her B.A., cum laude, from New York University in 1986. Born in Benguela, Angola, Justice Kahn immigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1975.
Kanter, Rebecca S.
Southern District of California. Nominated 2/3/24.
Judge Rebecca Kanter has been a judge on the San Diego County Superior Court since 2023. Judge Kanter previously worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California from 2006 to 2022. She served as Deputy Chief in that office’s Major Crimes Section from 2018 to 2019. From 2004 to 2006, Judge Kanter was an associate in the Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles offices of O’Melveny & Myers. She served as a law clerk for Judge Harry L. Hupp on the U.S. District for the Central District of California from 2003 to 2004.
Judge Kanter received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2003 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Irvine in 2000.
Kasubhai, Mustafa T.
District of Oregon. Nominated 9/18/23.
Confirmed 11/19/24.
Judge Mustafa Kasubhai has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Oregon since 2018. Previously, Judge Kasubhai served as a Circuit Court Judge in Lane County, Oregon, from 2007 to 2018. Prior to his appointment to the state bench, Judge Kasubhai served on the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board from 2003 to 2007. From 1997 to 2003, he worked in three different private practice roles — as a solo practitioner, as a partner at Kasubhai & Sanchez, and as an associate at Rasmussen, Tyler & Mundorff.
Judge Kasubhai received his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1996 and his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992.
Kato, Kenly Kiya
Central District of California. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 11/7/23.
Judge Kenly Kato has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California since 2014. From 2004 to 2014, Judge Kato was a solo practitioner, representing clients in civil and criminal cases. From 2003 to 2004, she was an associate at Liner LLP in Los Angeles. From 1997 to 2003, she was a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Los Angeles. Judge Kato served as a law clerk for Judge Robert M. Takasugi of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 1996 to 1997.
Judge Kato received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1996 and her B.A., summa cum laude, from UCLA in 1993.
Kazen, John A.
Southern District of Texas. Nominated 9/11/23.
Confirmed 1/9/24.
John Kazen has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Texas since 2018. Previously, Judge Kazen was a partner at the law firm he established, Kazen, Meurer, & Pérez from 1997 to 2018. Before that, he was a civil litigator at Kemp, Smith, Duncan & Hammond from 1991 to 1997. He served as a law clerk for Judge Robert Parker on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas from 1990 to 1991.
Judge Kazen received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1990 and his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987.
Kidd, Embry J.
Eleventh Circuit. Nominated 5/14/24.
Confirmed 11/18/24.
Judge Embry Kidd has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida since 2019. Judge Kidd previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida from 2014 to 2019. From 2009 to 2014, Judge Kidd worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. He served as a law clerk for Judge Roger L. Gregory on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2008 to 2009.
Judge Kidd received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2008 and his B.A. from Emory University in 2005.
Kiel, Edward S.
District of New Jersey. Nominated 10/4/23.
Confirmed 3/20/24.
Judge Edward S. Kiel has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey since 2019. Previously, Judge Kiel was a partner at Cole Schotz from 2001 to 2019. Before that, he was an associate at Cole Schotz from 1998 to 2001, at Beattie Padovano from 1994 to 1998, and at Jamieson Moore Peskin & Spicer from 1992 to 1994. Judge Kiel served as a law clerk for Presiding Criminal Judge Michael R. Imbriani of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Somerset County from 1991 to 1992.
Mr. Kiel received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1991 and his B.A. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in 1988.
Kirsch, Robert
District of New Jersey. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 5/2/23.
Robert Kirsch has served as a judge on the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County since 2010. Previously, Judge Kirsch was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey from 1997 to 2010 and served as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., from 1993 to 1997. Judge Kirsch entered the Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program in 1993. He served as a law clerk for Judge William Zloch on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida from 1991 to 1993.
Judge Kirsch received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1991 and his B.A. from Emory University in 1988.
Kobick, Julia
District of Massachusetts. Nominated 1/23/23.
Confirmed 11/7/23.
Julia Kobick has served as Deputy State Solicitor in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General since 2021, and previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the same office from 2013 to 2021. Ms. Kobick worked as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2012 to 2013, Judge Michael Chagares on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 2011 to 2012, and Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 2010 to 2011.
Ms. Kobick received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2010 and B.A. from Harvard College in 2005.
Kolar P., Joshua
Seventh Circuit. Nominated 7/27/23.
Confirmed 1/30/24.
Joshua Kolar has been a United States Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana since 2019. Judge Kolar also serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He has served in the U.S. Navy Reserve since 2009 and was on active duty in Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015. Previously, Judge Kolar worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana from 2007 to 2018. He was the National Security Lead in that office from 2015 to 2018. Judge Kolar was an associate at the law firm of Mayer Brown from 2006 to 2007 and from 2003 to 2005. He served as a law clerk for Judge Wayne R. Andersen on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2005 to 2006.
Judge Kolar received his J.D. in 2003 and his B.A. in 1999, both from Northwestern University.
Lanham, Krissa M.
District of Arizona. Nominated 2/27/24.
Confirmed 5/21/24.
Krissa M. Lanham has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona since 2009. She has served as Appellate Chief in that office since 2020, after previously serving as the Deputy Appellate Chief and Human Trafficking Coordinator. Ms. Lanham served as a law clerk for Judge Barry G. Silverman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009 and for Judge Robert N. Chatigny on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut from 2007 to 2008.
Ms. Lanham received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2007 and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University in 2002.
Lanthier, Mary Kay
District of Vermont. Nominated 6/4/24.
Confirmed 9/11/24.
Mary Kay Lanthier has been the supervising attorney in the Rutland County Public Defender’s Office since 2007. She was previously a public defender with the Addison County Public Defender’s Office from 2000 to 2003. Ms. Lanthier also worked in private practice as an associate and then a partner at Marsh & Wagner from 2003 to 2007 and as an associate at Keiner & Dumont from 1998 to 2000. From 1996 to 1998, she served as a law clerk for the judges of the Vermont Trial Court in the Chittenden County and Addison County Courts.
Ms. Lanthier received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1996 and her B.A. from Amherst College in 1993.
Laroski, Joseph A., Jr.
U.S. Ct of Int’l Trade. Nominated 7/11/23.
Confirmed 2/5/24.
Joseph Laroski has been a partner at the U.S. Schagrin Associates since 2021. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations and Director of Policy at the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, from 2017 to 2021, and before that was an Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. International Trade Commission from 2016 to 2017. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Laroski was an associate general counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He has also previously been a counsel at the firm of King and Spalding from 2012 to 2016, an associate at Vinson & Elkins from 2006 to 2008, an associate at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher from 2004 to 2006, and an associate at Skadden, Arps from 1999 to 2004. He served as a law clerk for Judge Dominick L. DiCarlo on the U.S. Court of International Trade from 1998 to 1999.
Mr. Laroski received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1997, his LL.M from Georgetown University Law Center in 1998, and his B.S.F.S. from Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in 1993.
Lawless, Colleen
Central District of Illinois. Nominated 1/23/23.
Confirmed 3/2/23.
Colleen Lawless has served as an Associate Judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Sangamon County, Ill., since 2019. Judge Lawless was previously a shareholder at the law firm of Londrigan, Potter & Randle in Springfield, Ill., from 2009 to 2019
Judge Lawless received her J.D. from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2009 and her B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2005.
Lee, Eumi K.
Northern District of California. Nominated 7/27/23.
Confirmed 3/20/24.
Eumi Lee has served as a judge on the Superior Court of California in Alameda County since 2018. Previously, Judge Lee was a Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly the University of California, Hastings College of the Law) from 2005 to 2018. From 2002 to 2005, she was an associate at the law firm of Keker & Van Nest. From 2000 to 2001, she was an associate at Thelen, Reid & Priest. Judge Lee served as a law clerk for Judge Warren J. Ferguson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002 and as a law clerk for Judge Jerome Turner on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1999 to 2000.
Judge Lee received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, in 1999 and her B.A. from Pomona College in 1994.
Leibowitz, David S.
Southern District of Florida. Nominated 11/6/23.
Confirmed 2/27/24.
David S. Leibowitz has been corporate counsel for Braman Management Association in Miami, Fla., since 2012, and Secretary and General Counsel since 2015. Before joining Braman Management, Mr. Leibowitz served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 2003 to 2012. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Leibowitz served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the District Attorney for Middlesex County in Cambridge, Mass. He served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Robert G. Flanders, Jr. on the Supreme Court of Rhode Island from 2000 to 2001.
Mr. Leibowitz received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2000, his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1998, and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.
Lin, Rita F.
Northern District of California. Nominated 1/23/23.
Confirmed 9/19/23.
Rita Lin has served as a judge on the Superior Court of San Francisco County, Calif., since 2018. She was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California from 2014 to 2018. Before that, Judge Lin was a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she worked from 2004 to 2014. She served as a law clerk for Judge Sandra Lynch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 2003 to 2004.
Judge Lin received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2003 and B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 2000.
Lipez, Julia M.
First Circuit. Nominated 6/4/24.
Justice Julia Lipez has been a justice on the Maine Superior Court since 2022. From 2011 to 2022, Justice Lipez worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, where she served as Appellate Chief from 2019 to 2022. Prior to that, Justice Lipez worked as an associate and then a senior associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr in New York from 2007 to 2011. She served as a law clerk for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2006 to 2007.
Justice Lipez received her J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 2006 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College in 2002.
Long, Brandon Scott
Eastern District of Louisiana. Nominated 6/8/23.
Confirmed 12/14/23.
Brandon Long has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans since 2014. From February 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Long was detailed to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C. From 2010 to 2014, he worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. From 2005 to 2010, he was an associate at King & Spalding.
Mr. Long received his J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2005 and received a B.B.A. and a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999.
Lund, Gretchen S.
Northern District of Indiana. Nominated 11/27/23.
Confirmed 1/25/24.
Judge Gretchen Lund has been a judge on the Elkhart County Superior Court in Goshen, Ind., since 2015. She previously served as a judge on the Goshen City Court from 2008 to 2014. Before that, Judge Lund worked as a deputy prosecutor in the Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2007. Judge Lund served as a law clerk for U.S. Magistrate Judge William T. Lawrence on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana from 2002 to 2006. She began her career as an associate at the law firm of Ice Miller in Indianapolis, Ind., from 2001 to 2002.
Judge Lund received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Butler University, cum laude, in 1998.
Maddox, Matthew J.
District of Maryland. Nominated 3/21/23.
Confirmed 10/31/23.
Matthew J. Maddox has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Maryland since 2022. Previously, Judge Maddox served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland from 2015 to 2022. From 2012 to 2014, he worked as a litigation associate at Holland & Knight. He served as a law clerk for Judge Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2014 to 2015 and for Judge Gerald Bruce Lee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2011 to 2012.
Judge Maddox received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2011 and his B.A. from Morgan State University in 1999.
Maldonado, Nancy L.
Seventh Circuit. Nominated 2/27/24.
Confirmed 7/9/24.
Judge Nancy Maldonado has been a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2022. Judge Maldonado was previously a partner at Miner, Barnhill & Galland in Chicago from 2010 to 2022 and an associate at the firm from 2003 to 2009. From 2001 to 2003, Judge Maldonado served as a law clerk for Judge Rubén Castillo on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Judge Maldonado received her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2001 and her A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1997.
Mangi, Adeel A.
Third Circuit. Nominated 11/27/23.
Adeel Mangi is a partner at the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. He began his legal career there as an associate in 2000, became counsel in 2009, and was elevated to partnership in 2010.
Mr. Mangi received his LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 2000. He qualified as a Barrister and received his Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills from the City University London Inns of Court School of Law in 1999 and his First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford, Pembroke College, in 1998.
Manglona, Ramona V.
Northern Mariana Islands. Nominated 9/11/23 (reappointment, 10-year term).
Ramona Manglona has served as the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands since 2011. From 2003 to 2011, Chief Judge Manglona worked as an Associate Judge of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Superior Court. From 2004 to 2008, she also served as Justice Pro Tempore on the Guam Supreme Court. Chief Judge Manglona was previously the Deputy Attorney General in 2002 and then the Attorney General of the CNMI from 2002 to 2003. As an Assistant Attorney General in the CNMI Office of the Attorney General from 1998 to 2002, she served as a prosecutor and then a civil litigator. Chief Judge Manglona worked as a law clerk to the CNMI Superior Court from 1997 to 1998.
She received her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1996 and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990.
Martinez, Angela M.
District of Arizona. Nominated 2/27/24.
Confirmed 5/22/24.
Judge Angela Martinez has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Arizona since 2023. Judge Martinez was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona from 2015 to 2023. From 2013 to 2015, she served as a law clerk for Judge Jennifer G. Zipps on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Prior to that, Judge Martinez was an associate at Farhang & Medcoff from 2012 to 2013, after an earlier period serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Arizona from 2005 to 2009. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Martinez was an associate at Lewis and Roca in Phoenix and Tucson from 2002 to 2004, and she served as a law clerk for Judge John M. Roll on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona from 2000 to 2002.
Judge Martinez received her J.D. from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2000 and her B.A. from the University of Arizona in 1995.
Martinez-Olguin, Araceli
Northern District of California. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 2/28/23.
Araceli Martinez-Olguin is a supervising attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, where she has worked since 2018. She previously served as the managing attorney at the Immigrants’ Rights Project at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Calif., from 2017 to 2018 and as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights from 2016 to 2017. Ms. Martinez-Olguin also worked at the American Civil Liberties Union and at Legal Aid at Work’s National Origin & Immigrants’ Rights Program. She served as a law clerk for Judge David Briones on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas from 2004 to 2006.
Ms. Martinez-Olguin received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2004 and her A.B. from Princeton University in 1999.
McMillion, Brandy R.
Eastern District of Michigan. Nominated 7/11/23.
Confirmed 11/9/23.
Brandy McMillion has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan since 2015. Ms. McMillion served as the Chief of the office’s General Crimes Unit since 2022. Previously, she was a senior litigation associate at Bryan Cave from 2012 to 2015, an associate at Perkins Coie from 2007 to 2012, and an associate at Pepper Hamilton from 2006 to 2007.
Ms. McMillion received her J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 2006 and her B.S.E. and her M.S.E. from the University of Michigan in 2001 and 2002.
Mehalchick, Karoline
Middle District of Pennsylvania. Nominated 7/11/23.
Confirmed 1/31/24.
Judge Karoline Mehalchick is the Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where she has served since 2013. Previously, Judge Mehalchick was a partner at Oliver, Price & Rhodes from 2008 to 2013. She was an associate at the firm from 2002 to 2007. She served as a law clerk for Judge Trish Corbett on the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas from 2001 to 2002.
Judge Mehalchick received her J.D. from Tulane Law School in 2001 and her B.A. from Pennsylvania State University in 1998.
Méndez-Miró, Gina R.
District of Puerto Rico. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 2/14/23.
Judge Gina Méndez-Miró has served as a judge on the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals since 2016. From 2013 to 2016, Judge Méndez-Miró held the position of Chief of Staff for the President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. She previously served in the Puerto Rico Office of Court Administration as the General Counsel and Director of the Legal Affairs Office (from 2010 to 2012) and as the Director of Judicial Programs from (2008 to 2010). From 2006 to 2008, she served as the Assistant Attorney General for Human Resources for the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. Judge Méndez-Miró was an associate at O’Neill & Borges in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 2001 to 2006.
Judge Méndez-Miró received her J.D. from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 2001, her M.A. from Princeton University in 2000, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico in 1996.
Merchant, Orelia E.
Eastern District of New York. Nominated 1/23/23.
Confirmed 5/3/23.
Orelia Merchant has served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for State Counsel in the New York State Attorney General’s Office since 2019. Ms. Merchant previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York as an Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2016 to 2019 and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2002 to 2016. From 1998 to 2002, Ms. Merchant worked as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. From 2000 to 2001, she was detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Ms. Merchant received her J.D. from Tulane University Law School in 1998, her M.A. in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary in 1995, and her B.S. from Dillard University in 1992.
Merle, Natasha C.
Eastern District of New York. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 6/21/23.
Natasha Merle has served as Deputy Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund since 2021. Ms. Merle previously served as Assistant Counsel and then Senior Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund from 2016 to 2021. From 2013 to 2015, she was a litigation associate and NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Fellow at Fried, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York. From 2011 to 2012, Ms. Merle was an Assistant Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and from 2009 to 2011, she was a staff attorney at the Gulf Region Advocacy Center. Ms. Merle served as a law clerk for Judge John Gleeson on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 2012 to 2013. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Robert L. Carter on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2008 to 2009.
Ms. Merle received her J.D., cum laude, from the New York University School of Law in 2008 and her B.A., with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005.
Munley, Julia K.
Middle District of Pennsylvania. Nominated 5/4/23.
Confirmed 10/17/23.
Judge Julia Munley has served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania’s 45th Judicial District since 2016. Previously, Judge Munley worked as a trial attorney and partner at Munley Law in Scranton, Pa., from 2001 to 2016. Prior to that, she was an associate at Mazzoni & Karam Law Offices in Scranton from 1995 to 2001 and at Masterson, Braunfeld, Maguire & Brown from 1993 to 1995. Judge Munley served as a law clerk to Judge Stephen J. McEwen of the Pennsylvania Superior Court from 1992 to 1993.
Judge Munley received her J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in 1992 and her B.A. from Marywood University in 1987.
Murillo, Serena R.
Central District of California. Nominated 18, 2024.
Judge Serena Murillo has been a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2015. She also served by appointment of the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court as an Associate Justice pro tem on the California Court of Appeal from 2018 to 2019. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Murillo worked as a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1997 to 2014. Earlier in her career, she served as an associate attorney at McNicholas & McNicholas in Los Angeles in 1997 and as a law clerk at Shernoff, Bidart & Echeverria in Claremont, Calif., in 1996.
Judge Murillo received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1996 and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego in 1993.
Murphy, Brian E.
District of Massachusetts. Nominated 3/21/24.
Brian E. Murphy has been a partner at Murphy & Rudolf since 2011. The firm was known as Murphy & Vander Salm from 2012 to 2016. Mr. Murphy was an Associate Attorney at Todd and Weld from 2009 to 2011 and a public defender at the Committee for Public Counsel Services from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Murphy also served as a supervising attorney for the Worcester County Bar Advocates from 2015 to 2019.
Mr. Murphy received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2006 and his B.A. from The College of Holy Cross in 2002.
Neary, Keli M.
Middle District of Pennsylvania. Nominated 7/31/24.
Keli M. Neary has been the Executive Deputy Attorney General for the Civil Law Division of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General since 2019. She previously served as a Deputy, Senior Deputy, and then Chief Deputy Attorney General in the Civil Law Division between 2012 and 2019. From 2007 to 2012, Ms. Neary was an Assistant Counsel in the Pennsylvania State Police’s Office of Chief Counsel. Before that, she served as a law clerk for Judges C. Joseph Rehkamp, Kathy Morrow, and Keith B. Quigley on the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas from 2006 to 2007.
Ms. Neary received her J.D. from Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 2006 and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 2003.
Nelson, Adrienne C.
District of Oregon. Nominated 1/3/23.
Confirmed 2/15/23.
Justice Adrienne 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.
Netburn, Sarah
Southern District of New York. Nominated 4/30/24.
Judge Sarah Netburn has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York since 2012 and has been the Court’s Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge since 2024. From 2010 to 2012, Judge Netburn served as the Southern District of New York’s Chief Counsel to the Office of Pro Se Litigation. Prior to her judicial service, Judge Netburn worked from 2002 to 2010 at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, where she rose from associate to partner. She served as a law clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002.
Judge Netburn received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Brown University in 1994.
Neumann, Stacey D.
District of Maine. Nominated 4/30/24.
Confirmed 7/30/24.
Stacey D. Neumann has worked in private practice at Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, Maine, since 2013 and has been a partner at the firm since 2017. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Neumann served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Before that, she was a staff attorney at the Vermont Office of the Defender General in Chittenden County (Vt.) from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Neumann served as a law clerk for Judge Peter W. Hall on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2006 to 2007 and for Judge John A. Dooley on the Vermont Supreme Court from 2005 to 2006.
Ms. Neumann received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 2005 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from James Madison University in 2000.
Oliver, Vernon D.
District of Connecticut. Nominated 5/4/23.
Confirmed 9/19/23.
Judge Vernon Oliver has served as a judge on the Connecticut Superior Court since 2009. Judge Oliver has also served as the Administrative Judge for the Middlesex Judicial District since 2020. Previously, Judge Oliver worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General from 2004 to 2009. From 1999 to 2004, he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. He was also an associate at the law firm of Montstream & May in Glastonbury, Conn., from 1998 to 1999.
Judge Oliver received his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1997 and his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1994.
Papillion, Darrel James
Eastern District of Louisiana. Nominated 3/21/23.
Confirmed 5/30/23.
Darrel James Papillion has been a partner at the law firm of Walters, Papillion in Baton Rouge, La., since 2009. Mr. Papillion was previously a partner at Moore, Walters, Thompson, Thomas, Papillion & Cullens from 2001 to 2009. From 1999 to 2001, he was an associate at Moore, Walters & Thompson, and from 1995 to 1999, he was an associate at McGlinchey Stafford. Mr. Papillion served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Catherine D. Kimball of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1994 to 1995.
Mr. Papillion received his J.D. from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1994 and his B.A. from Louisiana State University and A&M College in 1990.
Park, Ryan Y.
Fourth Circuit. Nominated 7/8/24.
Ryan Park has been the Solicitor General of North Carolina since 2020, and previously served as Deputy Solicitor General of North Carolina from 2017 to 2020. Mr. Park worked as an associate at Boies, Schiller & Flexner from 2014 to 2017 and in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State from 2012 to 2013. He served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice David H. Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2013 to 2014, for Judge Robert A. Katzmann on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2011 to 2012, and for Judge Jed S. Rakoff on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2010 to 2011.
Mr. Park received his J.D., summa cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2010 and his B.A., with distinction, from Amherst College in 2005. Before attending law school, he taught English in South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship.
Park, Shanlyn A. S.
District of Hawaii. Nominated 9/27/23.
Confirmed 11/30/23.
Judge Shanlyn Park has been a state court judge on the First Circuit Court on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, since 2021. Previously, Judge Park worked from 2017 to 2021 at the Honolulu law firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon and the firm of Gallagher Kane Amai & Reyes. From 1997 to 2017, he served as an assistant federal public defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Hawaiʻi. Prior to her time in that office, Judge Park was in private practice at Hisaka Stone & Goto from 1996 to 1997. She served as a law clerk for Judge Francis I. Yamashita, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Hawaiʻi from 1995 to 1996.
Judge Park received her J.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law in 1995 and her B.A., cum laude, from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1991.
Pennell, Rebecca L.
Eastern District of Washington. Nominated 3/21/24.
Confirmed 11/20/24.
Judge Rebecca L. Pennell has been a judge on the Washington Court of Appeals in Spokane since 2016. She was a public defender with the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho from 2000 to 2016. From 1999 to 2000, Judge Pennell was a Skadden Fellow at TeamChild, an organization that provides legal services to youths in Yakima, Wash. She served as a law clerk for Judge Robert Whaley on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 1997 to 1999.
Judge Pennell received her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1996 and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Washington in 1993.
Perry, April
Northern District of Illinois. Nominated 9/11/24.
Confirmed 11/12/24.
April Perry has been Senior Counsel of Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention at GE HealthCare since 2022. She was previously the General Counsel at Ubiety Technologies from 2019 to 2022. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Perry served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She also worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2004 to 2016. Ms. Perry worked as a law clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2003 to 2004.
Ms. Perry received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2003 and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University in 2000.
Pitts, P. Casey
Northern District of California. Nominated 1/23/23.
Confirmed 6/14/23.
P. Casey Pitts is a partner in the law firm of Altshuler Berzon in San Francisco, Calif.,, where he has worked since 2009. Mr. Pitts was an associate at the firm from 2009 to 2017. He served as a law clerk for Judge Stephen Reinhardt on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2008 to 2009.
Mr. Pitts received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2008 and his B.A. from Yale University in 2003.
Provinzino, Laura Margarete
District of Minnesota. Nominated 6/13/24.
Confirmed 9/12/24.
Laura Margarete Provinzino was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota and has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota since 2010. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Provinzino worked as a litigation associate at Robins Kaplan from 2006 to 2010 in Minneapolis. From 2003 to 2004, she served as a law clerk for Judge Diana E. Murphy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Ms. Provinzino received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2003, a B.A. from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2000, and a B.A. from Lewis & Clark College in 1998.
Return to Top
→Return to Bio Index →Return to Home Page