New federal appeals judge confirmed for 6th Circuit
Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati.
The Senate voted 49-43 Tuesday to confirm the nomination made by President Joe Biden, who called Davis “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.”
The White House said the Davis nomination was an example of Biden keeping his promise to bring diversity to the federal court system.
Davis would be the first Black woman to serve on the 6th Circuit from Michigan and only the second Black woman to serve on the 6th Circuit, officials said.
The court handles appeals from nine federal district courts in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee. There are 13 federal appeals courts in the country.
According to her biography, Davis started her career in private practice focused on product liability and commercial litigation. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1997. In 2016, she was appointed to the U.S. District Court in Eastern Michigan as a judge.
Davis is a 1992 graduate of Washington University School of Law and a 1989 graduate of Wichita State University, her biography says.
Davis will be replacing Judge Helene N. White, who is retiring, and also served as a district court judge in Michigan before coming to the court of appeals.
On Wednesday, Biden made another nomination for the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday.
Rachel Bloomekatz practices law in Columbus, and she has previously served as a law clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court.