Florence Pan
2022 - Present
1
Florence Y. Pan is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on May 25, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 20, 2022, by a vote of 52-42.[1][2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, click here.
Prior to her confirmation, Pan was a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on June 15, 2021, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 23, 2021, by a vote of 68-30.[3][4][5]
Pan was previously an associate judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was appointed to the court by President Barack Obama (D) in 2009.[6]
On April 28, 2016, President Barack Obama (D) nominated Pan to serve as an Article III federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.[7] On January 3, 2017, Pan's nomination was returned to President Obama at the sine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.[8]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (2022-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
On May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Pan to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[1] She was confirmed by a 52-42 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 20, 2022.[2] She received commission on September 26, 2022.[9] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Florence Pan |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 118 days after nomination. |
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
Confirmation vote
Pan was confirmed by a 52-42 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 20, 2022.[10] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Pan confirmation vote (September 20, 2022) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
| 46 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | 42 | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 52 | 42 | 6 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Pan had her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2022. Pan was reported to the full Senate on July 21, 2022, after a 13-9 committee vote.[11]
Nomination
On May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Pan to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Pan was nominated to replace Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was elevated to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The American Bar Association rated Pan Well qualified.[12] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2021-2022)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Pan to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 23, 2021, by a vote of 68-30.[3][4][5][13] Pan received commission on September 23, 2021.[9] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Pan by a vote of 68-30 on September 23, 2021.[5] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Pan confirmation vote (September 23, 2021) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
| 47 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 19 | 30 | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 68 | 30 | 2 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Pan's nomination on July 14, 2021. The committee voted to advance Pan's nomination to the full Senate on August 5, 2021.
Nomination
On March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Pan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The president officially nominated Pan on June 15.[3][4][5]
Pan was nominated to replace Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 19, 2021.[13]
The American Bar Association rated Pan Well Qualified.[14] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2016)
President Obama nominated Pan to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 28, 2016, to serve as an Article III federal judge.[7] The American Bar Association unanimously rated Pan Qualified for the nomination.[15]
Hearings on Pan's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on July 13, 2016, and her nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on September 15, 2016.[16][17] On January 3, 2017, Pan's nomination was returned to President Obama at the sine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.[8]
Biography
Education
Pan earned two bachelor's degrees, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. She earned a J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 1993.[6]
Professional career
The following is a summary of Pan's professional career:[7]
- 2022-present: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- 2021-2022: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- 2009-2021: Associate judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- 2007-2009: Deputy chief, appellate division, U.S. Attorney's Office
- 1999-2007: Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia
- 1998-1999: Senior advisor, Undersecretary of Domestic Finance, United States Department of the Treasury
- 1996-1998: Appellate section, criminal division, United States Department of Justice
- 1995-1996: Bristow fellow, Office of the Solicitor General
- 1994-1995: Law clerk, Hon. Ralph K. Winter, United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
- 1993-1994: Law clerk, Hon. Michael B. Mukasey, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Award and associations
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
- Adjunct Professor, Washington College of Law, American University
- Member, Committee for the Appointment and Tenure of Magistrate Judges
- Secretary of the Judicial Council, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association[6]
About the courts
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
| District of Columbia Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 11 |
| Judges: 11 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Sri Srinivasan |
| Active judges: Julianna Michelle Childs, Bradley Garcia, Karen Henderson, Greg Katsas, Patricia Ann Millett, Florence Pan, Cornelia T. L. Pillard, Neomi Rao, Srikanth Srinivasan, Justin Walker, Robert Leon Wilkins Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
This court should not be confused with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, which is equivalent to a state supreme court in the District of Columbia, or with the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction is limited by subject matter. Appeals are heard in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.
Eight judges of the District of Columbia Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States: Fred M. Vinson, Wiley Rutledge, Warren Burger, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Brett Kavanaugh.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the D.C. Circuit are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John Roberts is the circuit justice for the D.C. Circuit.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
District Court for the District of Columbia
| District of Columbia |
|---|
| District of Columbia Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 15 |
| Judges: 13 |
| Vacancies: 2 |
| Judges |
| Chief: James E. Boasberg |
| Active judges: Loren AliKhan, James E. Boasberg, Tanya S. Chutkan, Jia Cobb, Rudolph Contreras, Christopher Reid Cooper, Dabney Friedrich, Timothy J. Kelly, Trevor McFadden, Amit Priyavadan Mehta, Randolph D. Moss, Carl Nichols, Ana C. Reyes Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is one of 94 United States district courts. Cases dealing with the laws of the District of Columbia are heard by this court only under the same circumstances that would cause a case under state law to come before a federal court. Appeals from this court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The court sits in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse located on Constitution Avenue NW. The District has no local district attorney or equivalent, and so prosecutorial matters fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The District Court for the District of Columbia has original jurisdiction over cases filed in the District of Columbia. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The D.C. District Court hears federal cases within the District of Columbia. Its appellate court is the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
External links
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," May 25, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Congress.gov, "PN2193 — Florence Y. Pan — The Judiciary," accessed September 21, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," June 15, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The White House, "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations," June 15, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Congress.gov, "PN642 — Florence Y. Pan — The Judiciary," accessed June 16, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 District of Columbia Courts, "Superior Court: Florence Y. Pan biography," accessed April 29, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The White House, "President Obama nominates eight to serve on United States District Courts," April 28, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 United States Congress, "PN 1402 — Florence Y. Pan — The Judiciary," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Pan, Florence Y.," accessed September 24, 2021
- ↑ United States Senate, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Florence Y. Pan, of the District of Columbia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit )," accessed September 20, 2022
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Executive Business Meeting Results - 2022-07-21," July 21, 2022
- ↑ American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES 117TH CONGRESS," last updated June 21, 2022
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The White House, "President Biden Announces Intent to Nominate 11 Judicial Candidates," March 30, 2021
- ↑ American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES 117TH CONGRESS," last updated July 14, 2021
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III Judicial Nominees: 114th Congress," accessed May 1, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," July 13, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Executive Business Meeting," September 15, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ketanji Brown Jackson |
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Ketanji Brown Jackson |
United States District Court for the District of Columbia 2021-2022 |
Succeeded by Todd E. Edelman |
| Preceded by - |
Superior Court of the District of Columbia 2009-2021 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: James E. BoasbergChief Judge: Rudolph Contreras • Christopher Reid Cooper • Tanya S. Chutkan • Randolph D. Moss • Amit Priyavadan Mehta • Dabney Friedrich • Timothy J. Kelly (District of Columbia) • Trevor McFadden • Carl Nichols • Jia Cobb • Loren AliKhan • Ana Reyes | ||
| Senior judges |
Barbara Rothstein • Royce Lamberth • Thomas Hogan • Emmet Sullivan • Henry Kennedy • Richard Roberts (District of Columbia) • Ellen Huvelle • Rosemary Collyer • Reggie Walton • John Bates • Richard Leon • Paul Friedman • Joyce Green (District of Columbia) • Amy B. Jackson • Beryl A. Howell • | ||
| Magistrate judges | G. Michael Harvey • Robin M. Meriweather • Zia Faruqui • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Michael Boudin • Thomas Anderson (District of Columbia) • William Matthew Merrick • David Kellogg Cartter • George Purnell Fisher • Abram Baldwin Olin • Andrew Wylie • David Campbell Humphreys • Arthur MacArthur • Walter Smith Cox • Alexander Burton Hagner • Charles Pinckney James • Edward Franklin Bingham • Martin Montgomery • Andrew Coyle Bradley • Charles Cleaves Cole • Louis Emory McComas • Thomas H. Anderson • Job Barnard • Harry Clabaugh • Ashley Mulgrave Gould • Jeter Connelly Pritchard • Wendell Phillips Stafford • Daniel Thew Wright (District of Columbia) • Thomas Jennings Bailey • James Harry Covington • William Hitz • Walter Irving McCoy • Frederick Lincoln Siddons • Adolph Hoehling • Peyton Gordon • Louis Oberdorfer • Gladys Kessler • James Robertson (District of Columbia) • Ricardo Urbina • Colleen Kollar-Kotelly • Harold Leventhal • Alfred Adams Wheat • Jesse Corcoran Adkins • Joseph Winston Cox • Oscar Raymond Luhring • Fred Dickinson Letts • Daniel William O'Donoghue • James McPherson Proctor (Federal judge) • Bolitha Laws • Thomas Goldsborough • James W. Morris • Thomas Penfield Jackson • Walter Bastian • Edward Tamm • William Bryant • Howard Corcoran • Edward Curran • Edward Eicher • Thomas Flannery • Oliver Gasch • Gerhard Gesell • June Green • Harold Greene • Stanley Harris • George Hart • Norma Johnson • Alexander Holtzoff • William Jones (District of Columbia) • Richmond Keech • James Kirkland • Burnita Matthews • Joseph McGarraghy • Matthew McGuire • Charles McLaughlin • John Penn • David Pine • John Pratt • George Revercomb • Charles Richey • Aubrey Robinson • Spottswood Robinson • Henry Schweinhaut • John Sirica • John Lewis Smith (Federal judge) • Stanley Sporkin • Joseph Waddy • Leonard Walsh • Luther Youngdahl • Barrington Daniels Parker, Sr. • Florence Pan • Robert Leon Wilkins • Ketanji Brown Jackson • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
David Kellogg Cartter • Edward Franklin Bingham • Harry Clabaugh • James Harry Covington • Walter Irving McCoy • Royce Lamberth • Thomas Hogan • Alfred Adams Wheat • Fred Dickinson Letts • Bolitha Laws • William Bryant • Edward Curran • Edward Eicher • George Hart • Norma Johnson • William Jones (District of Columbia) • Richmond Keech • Matthew McGuire • John Penn • David Pine • Aubrey Robinson • John Sirica • John Lewis Smith (Federal judge) • Beryl A. Howell • | ||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioned in 2024 |
John Kazen • John Russell • Margaret Garnett • Cristal Brisco • Jacquelyn Austin • Gretchen Hess Lund • Micah Smith • Joshua Kolar • Karoline Mehalchick • Kirk Sherriff • Lisa Wang • David Leibowitz • Jacqueline Becerra • Julie Sneed • Melissa Damian • Kelly H. Rankin • Nicole Berner • Sunil Harjani • Leon Schydlower • Ernesto Gonzalez • Susan Bazis • Robert White • Ann Marie McIff Allen • Eumi Lee | ||
| Commissioned in 2023 |
Kai Scott • Tamika Montgomery-Reeves • Margaret R. Guzman • Daniel Calabretta • Matthew Garcia • DeAndrea G. Benjamin • Cindy Chung • Adrienne Nelson • Lindsay Jenkins • Gina Méndez-Miró • Araceli Martínez-Olguín • Jamar Walker • Ana Reyes • Jamal Whitehead • Gordon Gallagher • Matthew Brookman• Maria Araujo Kahn• James Simmons • Robert Ballou• Andrew Schopler • Jonathan Grey• Colleen Lawless • Arun Subramanian • Jessica Clarke • Robert Kirsch • Michael Farbiarz • Anthony Johnstone • Orelia Merchant • Wesley Hsu • Bradley Garcia • LaShonda A. Hunt • Nancy Gbana Abudu • Amanda Brailsford • Darrel Papillion • Jeremy Daniel • Hernan D. Vera • Julie Rikelman • Nusrat Choudhury • P. Casey Pitts • Myong Joun • Kymberly Evanson • Tiffany Cartwright • Rachel Bloomekatz • Natasha Merle • Dale Ho • Philip Hadji • Rita Lin • Brendan Hurson • Vernon D. Oliver • Matthew Maddox • Julia Munley • Brandy McMillion • Susan DeClercq • Julia Kobick • Ramon Reyes, Jr. • Ana de Alba • Kenly Kiya Kato • Mónica Ramírez Almadani • Jeffrey M. Bryan • Jamel Semper • Irma Ramirez • Richard Federico • Loren AliKhan • Brandon Long • Jerry Edwards Jr.• Sara Hill • Joseph Laroski | ||
| Commissioned in 2022 | David Herrera Urias • Gabriel Sanchez • Holly Thomas • Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong • David Ruiz • Charles Fleming • Bridget Brennan • Leonard Stark • Alison J. Nathan • John Chun • Julie Rubin • Jacqueline Scott Corley • Ruth Bermudez Montenegro • Victoria Calvert • Georgette Castner • Anne Traum • Cristina Silva • Ketanji Brown Jackson (Supreme Court) • Sarah Geraghty • Hector Gonzalez • Fred Slaughter • Jennifer Rochon • Robert Huie • Sunshine S. Sykes • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Evelyn Padin • Sherilyn P. Garnett • Ana de Alba • J. Michelle Childs • Trina Thompson • Elizabeth Hanes • Nancy Maldonado • Nina Morrison • Gregory Williams • John Z. Lee • Sal Mendoza, Jr. • Lara Montecalvo • Florence Pan • Andre Mathis • Sarah A.L. Merriam • Jennifer Rearden • Roopali Desai • María Antongiorgi-Jordán • Camille Vélez-Rivé • Doris Pryor • Frances Kay Behm • Dana Douglas • Mia Roberts Perez • Anne Nardacci • Jeffery P. Hopkins | ||
| Commissioned in 2021 |
Ketanji Brown Jackson • Zahid Quraishi • Julien Xavier Neals • Deborah Boardman • Regina Rodriguez • Candace Jackson-Akiwumi • Lydia Kay Griggsby • Tiffany Cunningham • Eunice Lee • Angel Kelley • Florence Pan • Veronica Rossman • David G. Estudillo • Sarah A.L. Merriam • Gustavo Gelpí • Christine O'Hearn • Margaret Strickland • Karen McGlashan Williams • Patricia Tolliver Giles • Toby Heytens • Michael Nachmanoff • Sarala Nagala • Beth Robinson • Omar A. Williams • Myrna Pérez • Jia Cobb • Tana Lin • Lauren King • Lucy H. Koh • Jennifer Sung • Samantha Elliott • Katherine Menendez • Mary Dimke • Linda Lopez • Shalina Kumar • Jane Beckering • Jinsook Ohta • Jennifer L. Thurston • Stephen Locher • Charlotte Sweeney • Nina Nin-Yuen Wang • Arianna Freeman • Jerry Blackwell | ||
