Loren AliKhan
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Assumed office
December 13, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byAmy Berman Jackson
Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
In office
February 18, 2022  December 13, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byJohn R. Fisher
Succeeded byvacant
2nd Solicitor General of the District of Columbia
In office
March 1, 2018  February 8, 2022
Attorney GeneralKarl Racine
Preceded byTodd Kim
Succeeded byCaroline Van Zile
Personal details
Born (1983-06-24) June 24, 1983
Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S.
EducationBard College at Simon's Rock (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)

Loren Linn AliKhan (born June 24, 1983)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia since 2023. She previously served as an associate judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals from 2022 to 2023 as well as the solicitor general of the District of Columbia from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and education

AliKhan was born in 1983 in Baltimore County, Maryland, to parents who had immigrated to the United States from Pakistan.[2] She graduated from Bard College at Simon's Rock in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in social studies. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. She graduated in 2006 with a J.D., magna cum laude, and Order of the Coif membership.[3][4]

After graduating from law school, AliKhan was a law clerk for judge Louis H. Pollak of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2007 and for judge Thomas L. Ambro of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 2007 to 2008. She was then a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General of the United States before joining the Washington, D.C. office of O'Melveny & Myers. In 2013, AliKhan joined the Office of the District of Columbia Attorney General as a Deputy Solicitor General. In that role, she represented the District of Columbia's interests in appellate litigation before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Supreme Court of the United States, and other appellate tribunals.

On March 1, 2018, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine appointed AliKhan as the District's second solicitor general, succeeding Todd Kim.[5]

Judicial career

D.C. court of appeals service

On September 30, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated AliKhan to serve as an associate judge for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.[3] President Biden nominated AliKhan to the seat vacated by Judge John R. Fisher, who retired on August 22, 2020.[6] On December 2, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.[7] Her nomination was reported to the full Senate on December 15, 2021.[8] On February 2, 2022, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 55–40 vote.[9] On February 8, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 55–41 vote.[10] She was sworn in by Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby on February 18, 2022.[11] Her service was terminated on December 13, 2023 when she was elevated to federal judge.[12]

Federal judicial service

On May 3, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate AliKhan to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.[13][14] On May 4, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated AliKhan to the seat vacated by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who assumed senior status on May 1, 2023.[15] On June 7, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[16] During her confirmation hearing, she was repeatedly questioned by Senator John Kennedy over her refusal to give her stance on affirmative action, abortion rights, and other issues.[17] On July 13, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[18] On December 5, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–50 vote, with the Vice President Kamala Harris voting in the affirmative.[19] This vote was notable as it made history with Harris becoming the Vice President with the most tie-breaking Senate votes in history.[20] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 51–50 vote, with Vice President Harris voting in the affirmative.[21] She received her judicial commission on December 13, 2023.[12] She is the first female South Asian federal judge to serve on the District of Columbia District Court.[22]

References

  1. "NOMINATION OF LOREN L. ALIKHAN TO BE ASSOCIATE JUDGE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, HON. JOHN P. HOWARD III, TO BE ASSOCIATE JUDGE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, AND HON. ADRIENNE JENNINGS NOTI TO BE AN ASSOCIATE JUDGE, SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. December 2, 2021. p. 30.
  2. "Biden announces more Asian American nominees in bid to reshape federal bench". The Yappie. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  3. 1 2 "President Biden Names Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees", White House, September 30, 2021 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. "Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire - Loren AliKhan" (PDF). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  5. "Attorney General Racine Appoints Loren AliKhan as the District's Second Solicitor General" (Press release). 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  6. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 30, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. "Nominations of Loren L. AliKhan and John P. Howard III to be Associate Judges, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and Adrienne Jennings Noti to be an Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. December 2, 2021.
  8. "PN1201 - Nomination of Loren L. AliKhan for The Judiciary, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  9. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Loren L. AliKhan to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  10. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Loren L. AliKhan, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. "Two New Judges Take Their Place on the Bench in the DC Court of Appeals". DC Courts. February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Loren AliKhan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  13. Durkee, Alison. "Biden Announces New Judicial Nominees As Sen. Feinstein Reportedly 'Hopeful' About Returning To Senate Next Week". forbes.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  14. "President Biden Names Thirty-Third Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. May 4, 2023.
  16. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. June 6, 2023.
  17. Weiss, Benjamin. "Partisan squabble mars debate on slate of Biden court picks". Courthouse News. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  18. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 13, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  19. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Loren L. AliKhan to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia)". United States Senate. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  20. "Vice President Harris breaks record for casting the most tie-breaking votes". NBC News. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  21. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Loren L. AliKhan, of the District of Columbia, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia)". United States Senate. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  22. "Biden nominates four more judges in D.C., Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut". reuters.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
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