Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Thomas was confirmed Thursday to the largest federal appeals court, making her President Joe Biden’s fourth appointee to that circuit.
Thomas, cleared by the Senate 48-40, will be the second Black woman to ever sit on the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Current Judge Johnnie Rawlinson was the first, appointed by Bill Clinton in 2000.
Thomas previously overcame a party-line committee deadlock on her nomination that necessitated an additional floor vote to move her forward.
At her confirmation hearing last year, she faced questions from Republicans about her position ...