In a recent vote held just last week, the Senate finally provided final confirmation to Natasha Merle, who was a pick from President Joe Biden for service on the federal judiciary. She will be serving in the Eastern District of New York.
The Senate approving Merle for the bench expands the already extensive precedent of lawyers with involvement in civil rights heading to a judgeship thanks to Biden and Democrats. Some of Merle’s most recent work ahead of what will now be her stint as a federal judge saw her helping lead (as deputy director of litigation) the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Another recent Biden pick who the Senate confirmed, Dale E. Ho, had a background in voting rights and had worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU. Ho and Merle will actually now be serving as federal judges in the same state.
Also in the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Senate recently confirmed a woman named Nusrat Jahan Choudhury to serve as federal judge. She is the first Muslim woman approved for a position as federal judge — which is, of course, surprising when you think about it, considering the portion of U.S. society that Muslim people comprise. Choudhury’s and Merle’s selections by the president were actually first unveiled at the same time, in early 2022, meaning final votes on their potential ascents to the judiciary have sort of been a long time coming.
In the Senate, the vote was close, with 50 in favor of Merle’s entry as a judge and 49 opposed. The remaining member, Lindsey Graham, was recorded as not voting. Even if there’d been a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris presumably could have broken it, giving Democrats the win anyway. The fifty who supported Merle were all Democrats or Democratic Party-aligned Senators, with West Virginia’s Joe Manchin switching sides yet again and voting with most of the chamber’s Republicans in opposition. The political composition of his home state means all these breaks with his party might have not really any impact on the success of his 2024 campaign.
