Published on: Tuesday, December 6, 2022

The Senate has confirmed 90 federal judicial nominees to the bench as of this week. This is incredible news for people who care about the courts and having actually qualified jurists making highly consequential legal decisions (article available here).

Nearly 50 percent of those people confirmed are women of color. “That’s never happened before,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor on Tuesday. “I’m confident a more diverse bench will go a long way in cultivating trust in our courts and in our democracy.”

On Monday, the Senate confirmed Doris Pryor as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit, which covers cases from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Pryor is the first woman of color from Indiana to join that court.

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed its 89th and 90th nominees to the federal bench: Frances Kay Behm for District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and Kelley Brisbon Hodge for District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.