Biden Intends to Name Farhadian Weinstein to SDNY Seat (1)

President Joe Biden announced plans to nominate Tali Farhadian Weinstein to a seat on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Farhadian Weinstein, who unsuccessfully ran for Manhattan district attorney in 2021, is a former assistant US attorney and former clerk to both Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Attorney General Merrick Garland, when he served as a federal appeals court judge in Washington.

Time is running out for Biden to get judicial nominees through the Senate during the lame-duck session, and the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about what vacancy Farhadian Weinstein would fill after announcing the intended nomination Friday.

Earlier Friday, Judge Valerie Caproni, appointed by Barack Obama, said at a federal judiciary rules committee meeting that she’ll move to semi-retirement in January. “And I’m thrilled,” she added.

Caproni isn’t yet listed on the federal judiciary’s website that tracks current and future judicial vacancies.

Sarah Netburn, a magistrate judge nominated to a future vacancy that will open up when Lorna Schofield takes senior status earlier at the end of this year, was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July and her nomination has remained stalled since.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) joined 10 Republicans against advancing her to the full Senate. Republicans on the committee had raised concerns about Netburn’s handling of a case involving an incarcerated transgender woman.

If neither of the empty seats on the influential Manhattan court are filled during the Senate’s lame-duck session, President Elect Donald Trump will enter the White House on Jan. 20 with the ability to appoint two judges to that bench.

Trump appointed four members of the court during his first term, and President Joe Biden has appointed seven judges.

The Southern District of New York often hears high-profile cases, including those involving financial crimes.