Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Donate to our newsroom

Menu

Topics

  • Abortion
  • Politics
  • Education
  • LGBTQ+
  • Caregiving
  • Environment & Climate
  • Business & Economy
View all topics

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Please complete the following CAPTCHA to be confirmed. If you have any difficulty, contact [email protected] for help.

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email [email protected] to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

  • Latest Stories
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Ways to Give
  • Search
  • Contact
Donate
Home

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

Topics

  • Abortion
  • Politics
  • Education
  • LGBTQ+
  • Caregiving
  • Environment & Climate
  • Business & Economy
View all topics

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Please complete the following CAPTCHA to be confirmed. If you have any difficulty, contact [email protected] for help.

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email [email protected] to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

  • Latest Stories
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Ways to Give
  • Search
  • Contact

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Please complete the following CAPTCHA to be confirmed. If you have any difficulty, contact [email protected] for help.

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email [email protected] to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Justice

Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

She was on the short list to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court and now joins what’s largely regarded as the nation’s second-highest court.

J. Michelle Childs testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing.
J. Michelle Childs testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on judicial nominations on Capitol Hill in April 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)

Candice Norwood

Reporter

Published

2022-07-20 13:49
1:49
July 20, 2022
pm

Republish this story

Share

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Email

Republish this story

Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was on the short list to replace former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to sit on Washington, D.C.’s prestigious federal appellate court. She will be one of two women of color on the court, which is generally regarded as the nation’s second highest.

The Senate voted 64-34 to confirm Childs, with 15 Republicans backing her. Only one other Biden nominee for a federal appellate court has received that many votes from Republican members.

“With over 15 years of experience on the bench, Judge Childs is exceptionally qualified to serve on the D.C. Circuit. Her outstanding qualifications make it no surprise that she has received strong, bipartisan support from her home state’s delegation,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin said in a statement.

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has produced more Supreme Court justices than any other federal court. Four of the nine current justices previously served there. The D.C. Circuit tends to handle sensitive and high-profile issues related to national security, election law and federal agencies. This has included cases concerning the January 6 Capitol breach in 2021.

Childs becomes the only Black woman on the court, which has 11 active seats and two remaining vacancies for President Joe Biden to fill. One of those vacancies was previously held by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who formally joined the Supreme Court on June 30.  

  • More from The 19th
    Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. looks on as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson signs the Oaths of Office in the Justices' Conference Room.
  • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s swearing in makes history during unprecedented time for the Supreme Court
  • Judge preemptively blocks LGBTQ+ protections in Title IX and the workplace
  • Abortion is directly on the ballot in at least five states this year

Childs gained national attention earlier this year as one of Biden’s front-runners to replace Breyer, who in January announced his intention to retire from the high court. At the time, Childs, 56, had served as a U.S. District Court judge in South Carolina for 12 years. She was also a South Carolina state judge from 2006 until 2010. 

As a Supreme Court contender, Childs’ underrepresented background as a public university graduate appealed to those calling for wider experiential diversity among the justices. She received her bachelor’s from the University of South Florida and her law degree from the University of South Carolina. She also worked at one of South Carolina’s largest law firms, Nexsen Pruet, and for the state government, in the South Carolina Department of Labor and as a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission. 

During Biden’s search for potential nominees to replace Justice Breyer, Childs had strong support from two prominent politicians from her home state: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the Democrat whose support helped Biden notch his first primary victory, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Ultimately, Biden chose Jackson, who also sat on the D.C. circuit court for eight months before her Supreme Court nomination. While Childs’ new position on the D.C. circuit court and bipartisan appeal put her in a prime position for future Supreme Court consideration, it’s unclear whether another Supreme Court vacancy will open up during Biden’s presidency or whether he will look to address other diversity gaps after fulfilling his campaign promise to appoint the first Black woman to the court.

Sign up for more news and context delivered to your inbox, daily

You have been subscribed!

Please complete the following CAPTCHA to be confirmed. If you have any difficulty, contact [email protected] for help.

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email [email protected] to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

Preview of the daily newsletter from The 19th

No Asian, Indigenous, or out-LGBTQ+ person has ever held a seat on the nation’s highest court. The D.C. Circuit Court, where many administrations would look for potential nominees, includes one Indian-American woman, Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Biden has also nominated Judge Florence Pan, a Taiwanese-American woman, to replace Jackson on the D.C. Circuit Court. Her nomination is still working through the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During his time in office, Biden has selected federal court nominees with racial and professional diversity. He has appointed 16 Black women to judicial posts, according to data from the Federal Judicial Center, though a few, like Childs held positions on lower federal courts. He has also appointed 10 Asian women and eight Latina women to federal court positions. The Federal Judicial Center database does not include sexual orientation or gender identity beyond male and female.

Republish this story

Share

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Email

Recommended for you

Supreme Court justices
Biden poised to nominate first Black woman to Supreme Court
J. Michelle Childs listens during her nomination hearing.
Meet J. Michelle Childs, South Carolina judge and possible Supreme Court contender
Candace Jackson-Akiwumi
Biden’s federal judicial picks are 77 percent women so far
Candace Jackson-Akiwumi appellate court nomination hearings 2021
Biden’s past Black women nominees pave way for a potential Supreme Court pick

From the Collection

On The Rise

Illustration of three women marching
  • 330 Moms Demand Action volunteers ran for office and won in 2024

    Jennifer Gerson · December 17
  • Who is Katie Britt? The youngest woman ever elected to Senate got GOP spotlight

    Mel Leonor Barclay · March 7
  • Gabby Giffords' gun safety group names new director with women and 2024 in mind

    Jennifer Gerson · January 18

The 19th News(letter)

News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Please complete the following CAPTCHA to be confirmed. If you have any difficulty, contact [email protected] for help.

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please email [email protected] to subscribe.

This email address might not be capable of receiving emails (according to Bouncer). You should try again with a different email address. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

Become a member

Explore more coverage from The 19th
Abortion Politics Education LGBTQ+ Caregiving
View all topics

Our newsroom's Spring Member Drive is here!

Learn more about membership.

  • Transparency
    • About
    • Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Community Guidelines
  • Newsroom
    • Latest Stories
    • 19th News Network
    • Podcast
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Fellowships
  • Newsletters
    • Daily
    • Weekly
    • The Amendment
    • Event Invites
  • Support
    • Ways to Give
    • Sponsorship
    • Republishing
    • Volunteer

The 19th is a reader-supported nonprofit news organization. Our stories are free to republish with these guidelines.