The Senate confirmed Justice Department official Bradley N. Garcia to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday, a move that would make him the first Latino judge on the influential court.
Garcia, 36, is the youngest circuit court nominee confirmed under President Joe Biden after the 53-40 vote. And he is the Senate’s fourth confirmation of a Biden pick for the D.C. Circuit, which handles many regulatory cases with a national sweep on environmental, labor, immigration and other policy issues.
“Latinos are historically underrepresented across the federal bench,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said in a floor speech ahead of the vote Monday. “So confirming the first ever Latino to the second most important court is a long overdue step towards making the federal bench better reflect our country.”
Although the Biden administration has pushed to diversify the federal bench, it has also faced criticism from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund on its approach to appointing Latinos to appellate courts.
Garcia, a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, currently is a deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. He previously worked at O’Melveny & Myers law firm.