Holly Thomas | |
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| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| Assumed office January 24, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | William A. Fletcher |
| Judge of theLos Angeles County Superior Court | |
| In office November 29, 2018 – January 24, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Robert Dukes |
| Succeeded by | Pamela Dansby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) San Diego,California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic[1] |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Holly Aiyisha Thomas (born 1979)[2] is an American attorney serving as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously served as a judge of theLos Angeles County Superior Court from 2018 to 2022.
Thomas was born inSan Diego. Thomas' father was a bookkeeper and her mother was a school custodian, neither of whom went to college.[3] She graduated fromStanford University in 2000 with aBachelor of Arts degree with honors. Thomas worked as a client advocate for the San Francisco Bar Association's Volunteer Legal Services Program from 2000 to 2001. She then attendedYale Law School, where she was an essays editor for theYale Law Journal, graduating with aJuris Doctor in 2004.[2][4]
Thomas served as alaw clerk for judgeKim McLane Wardlaw of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2004 to 2005. From 2005 to 2010, Thomas worked as an assistant counsel at theNAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where she was a Liman Fellow from 2005 to 2006. From 2010 to 2015, she was an appellate attorney in theUnited States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and from 2015 to 2016, Thomas was a special counsel to the solicitor general ofNew York. During her tenure as special counsel to thesolicitor general ofNew York, Thomas filed briefs in federal district courts inNorth Carolina andTexas. The briefs challenged North Carolina'sPublic Facilities Privacy & Security Act, which compelled public facilities containing single-gender washrooms to only allow people of the corresponding sex as listed on their birth certificate to use them.[5] From 2016 to 2018, she served as deputy director of executive programs at theCalifornia Department of Fair Employment and Housing.[4] In November 2018,California GovernorJerry Brown appointed Thomas to be a judge of theLos Angeles County Superior Court.[1] Her service on the state court terminated once she was elevated to theNinth Circuit Court.[6]
On September 8, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden announced his intent to nominate Thomas to serve as a United States circuit judge for theNinth Circuit. On September 20, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Thomas to the seat to be vacated by JudgeWilliam A. Fletcher, who announced his intent to assumesenior status upon confirmation of a successor.[7] On October 20, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[8] During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators criticized her work as a civil rights attorney before becoming a Superior Court judge.[9] On December 2, 2021, theSenate Judiciary Committee failed to report her nomination by a 11–11 vote.[10] On December 16, 2021, theUnited States Senate discharged the committee from further consideration of her nomination by a 50–46 vote.[11] On December 17, 2021, Majority LeaderChuck Schumer filedcloture on her nomination.[12] On December 18, 2021, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 42–25 vote.[13] On January 20, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–40 vote.[14] She received her judicial commission on January 24, 2022.[6] Thomas became the first black woman to serve on the Ninth Circuit from California,[15] as well as the second black woman to ever serve on the Ninth Circuit afterJohnnie B. Rawlinson.
On January 27, 2022, following JusticeStephen Breyer's announcement of his intention to retire as anAssociate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Thomas was mentioned as one of the potential nominees for a Supreme Court appointment by PresidentJoe Biden.[16]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2022–present | Incumbent |