Historic Nominees of Color Confirmed Swiftly to US Trial Courts

The Senate easily confirmed the first judges of color for federal trial courts in Rhode Island and western Virginia.

Melissa DuBose, who is Black, and Jasmine Yoon, who was born in South Korea, received bipartisan support in winning expedited approval on Tuesday.

Both were confirmed mere days after advancing out of the Judiciary Committee, a process on the floor that can take weeks or months in the bitterly divided chamber narrowly controlled by Democrats.

President Joe Biden has reshaped federal courts with more racially and professionally diverse judges.

DuBose has been an associate judge on the Rhode Island state district court in Providence since 2019. She was confirmed, 51-47, to the District of Rhode Island with support from all Democrats voting, save Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine backed her nomination.

Yoon is vice president of corporate integrity, ethics, and investigations at Capital One Financial Corp. and is a former Crowell & Moring associate. She was confirmed, 55-41, as the first Asian American to the Western District of Virginia with support from all Democrats voting as well as a handful of Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

There is one federal trial court in Rhode Island. Yoon’s district includes Roanoke and Charlottesville.

Senators also confirmed Sunil Harjani to the Northern District of Illinois, 53-46. The district includes Chicago. Harjani also was advanced by the Judiciary Committee last week. Graham and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted yes on confirmation in a bipartisan tally.

—With assistance from Tiana Headley