BY PETER SESAY

President Biden today, Wednesday, November 1 expanded his record as far as nominating African American female judges to federal courts. With the announcement of two more Black judges to the federal bench, the president has now nominated more Black females to these lifetime positions than his three predecessors combined.

The number of Biden-nominated judges so far totals 148, two-thirds of whom are Black women and people of color. They include a record number of civil rights lawyers and public defenders. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden had vowed to bring diversity to the court, in reaction of sorts to Donald Trump reshaping both the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts with conservative judges. The current president has won praised for nominating the first Black woman to the highest court in the land, now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

In February, following the confirmation of his 100th nomination to the federal bench, the president said, “diversity is one of our best assets as a nation,” adding, “We have made important progress in ensuring that the federal judiciary not only looks more like the nation as a whole, but also includes judges from professional backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented on the bench.”

The backgrounds of the two newly-appointed Black female judges—and their three fellow-nominees—as one can see in the statement issued today by the White House, speak volume about the president’s plan. So does their area of service: the deep south.

The profiles of the two Black judges, as shown in a statement issued by the White House, are impressive.

Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin has been a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of South Carolina since 2011. Previously, Judge Austin worked in private practice at Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, PLLC as an associate from 1999 to 2006 and as a partner from 2006 to 2011. Prior to that, she worked as an associate at Hardaway Law Firm from 1997 to 1999. Judge Austin served as a law clerk for Judge Matthew J. Perry, Jr. on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina from 1996 to 1997. She received her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996 and her B.S. from the University of South Carolina School of Engineering in 1989.

Judge Julie S. Sneed: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Judge Julie S. Sneed has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Florida since June 2015. She previously worked as a partner at Akerman LLP from 2012 to 2015; an associate and later a partner at Fowler White Boggs Banker, P.A. from 2004 to 2012; and a litigation associate at Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O’Neill & Mullis, P.A. from 1997 to 2000. Judge Sneed served as a law clerk for Judge James D. Whittemore on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida from 2000 to 2004 and Judge Chris W. Altenbernd on the Florida Second District Court of Appeal from 1995 to 1997. She received her J.D. from Florida State University College of Law in 1994 and her B.S. from the University of Florida in 1991.

In addition to judges Sneed and Austin, two other Black female judicial nominees are awaiting their confirmation by the Senate. These nominations have bipartisan backing and are expected to go through smoothly.