Judge Ana de Alba Elevated to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

de Alba becomes the 37th appellate judge confirmed during the Biden administration.

The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual as an Article III federal judge. With this confirmation, 154 judges nominated by President Joe Biden have now been confirmed by the Senate. With today’s action, 37 of Biden’s judicial nominees have been approved for service on federal appellate courts.

In a 48-43 vote, Ana de Alba was confirmed as a Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is Biden’s eighth confirmation to the 29-person court, with no additional vacancies at this time.

de Alba assumes the Pasadena, California-based seat previously held by Paul J. Watford, who resigned in May 2023. A nominee of President Barack Obama, Watford served on the court from 2012 to 2023. de Alba was nominated to this seat on the federal judiciary by Biden in April 2023.

Since July 2022, de Alba has served as a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Her confirmation today makes her the third district court judge originally nominated by Biden to later be elevated to an appellate court judgeship by the President. She joins Florence Y. Pan on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and Sarah A.L. Merriam on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in that distinction.

The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit covers appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon and Washington.