Senate Confirms Two New Second Circuit Judges

On May 8 and May 9, the United States Senate confirmed two new judges to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The Second Circuit has federal appellate jurisdiction over New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, making it one of the more significant circuit courts for immigration cases [see article].

On May 8, the Senate confirmed Judge Joseph F. Bianco, 52, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York to the Second Circuit by a vote of 54-42. Judge Bianco had served on the Eastern District since he was confirmed to that court in 2006. Prior to serving as a District Court Judge, Judge Bianco was a federal prosecutor, first for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and second at the Criminal Division for the U.S. Department of Justice. Judge Bianco has a law degree from Columbia Law School.¹

On May 9, the Senate confirmed Michael Park, 43, to the Second Circuit by a vote of 51-42. Park has spent most of his career in private practice, but he worked for two years as an Attorney Advisor for the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel during the administration of George W. Bush. He is currently a law professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. Park was a law clerk for then-Judge Samuel Alito on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2001-02, and subsequently for Justice Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court of the United States in 2008-09. Judge-designate Park has a law degree from Yale Law School.²

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1. Severino, Carrie. “Who is Joseph Bianco?” National Review Online. Oct. 10, 2018. https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/who-is-joseph-bianco/
2. Severino, Carrie. “Who is Michael Park?” National Review Online. Oct. 10, 2018. https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/who-is-michael-park/