Maxwell Judge Nathan Confirmed to New York-Based Appeals Court

Alison Nathan, the judge overseeing the sex-trafficking case of Ghislaine Maxwell, was confirmed late Wednesday to the New York-based federal appeals court.

The Senate confirmed Nathan, 49 to 47, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on a mostly party line vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and John Kennedy of Louisiana supported her.

Nathan’s nomination capped a series of judiciary confirmations held during Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson completed her testimony prior to the Nathan vote.

Nathan has been a trial judge in the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan. She is President Joe Biden’s fourth appointee to the Second Circuit, which is a chief venue for cases involving corporations and Wall Street. Biden still has two more expected vacancies to fill on that court.