WASHINGTON (CN) — The Senate confirmed U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Boardman to serve as a district judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland with a 52-48 vote Wednesday.
A Maryland native, Boardman was born in Silver Spring and raised in Frederick before moving to Pennsylvania to attend Villanova University until 1996. She got her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and spent six years as a senior associate in Hogan Lovell’s pro bono department.
She then spent 11 years as a member of the Office of the Federal Public Defender, where she was named First Assistant Federal Public Defender in 2015.
President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Boardman, alongside fellow District of Maryland nominee Judge Lydia Griggsby, to the bench in March.
“The highly qualified candidates in this group reflect the president’s deeply held conviction that the federal bench should reflect the full diversity of the American people—both in background and in professional experience,” the White House said in a statement.
The women would replace outgoing U.S. District Judges Richard D. Bennett, a George W. Bush appointee, and Ellen L. Hollander, a Barack Obama appointee, who are moving on to become senior judges once their successors are confirmed.
“Judge Boardman brings tremendous experience to the courtroom as a sitting U.S. Magistrate Judge in Maryland,” Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said in a statement. “She already handles a heavy caseload in our federal court and has previously served as the First Assistant Federal Public Defender of Maryland, in addition to working in private practice.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, also a Maryland Democrat, similarly sang his praises for the judge after Biden’s announcement. “Having served Marylanders as a public defender for over ten years, Judge Boardman knows firsthand the importance of ensuring every voice is fairly represented in our courts,” he said.
“Her strong Maryland roots have given her a deep knowledge and love of our state,” he continued, “and her breadth and diversity of professional experience has fully prepared her to take on this role."
However, Boardman's nomination met some resistance at the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it was advanced with a narrow 11-10 vote along party lines. Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican and the ranking member of the committee, expressed his concerns about her experience in criminal defense, and suggested that she might not be up to the task of serving as a judge.
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