THE US Senate today confirmed the 100th federal judge appointed by Joe Biden, as the president attempts to dilute the impact his predecessor Donald Trump had on the courts.
Under the US Constitution, presidents appoint Supreme Court justices and federal judges for life, with Congress’ upper chamber confirming or rejecting the nominee.
In theory, judges are politically impartial, but their previous decisions and the president who appointed them generally shed some light on their beliefs and leanings.
Gina Mendez-Miro, a 49-year-old lawyer, became the latest judge confirmed to the US Federal Court for the District of Puerto Rico, after a 54-45 vote Tuesday in the Senate.
Because Democrats have controlled the Senate throughout Biden’s presidency, he has been able to vet nominees like Mendez-Miro at an accelerated pace.
In an effort to increase diversity in the judiciary, Biden has put forth candidates with traditionally underrepresented backgrounds: three quarters have been women and only one-third have been white, according to the American Constitution Society.
He additionally nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court, marking the first time a Black woman was named to the bench.
Mendez-Miro will make history as the first LGBT American on the Puerto Rico District Court, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Americans “should trust that they will get a fair shake in the dispensation of justice,” he said in a statement.
