Jeannette Vargas

Southern District of New York
	Second Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 28
	Judges: 26
	Vacancies: 2
Judges
	Chief: Laura Swain
	Active judges: Ronnie Abrams, Vernon Broderick, Andrew L. Carter Jr., Jessica Clarke, John Peter Cronan, Paul A. Engelmayer, Katherine Failla, Jesse Furman, Margaret Garnett, Philip M. Halpern, Dale Ho, Kenneth Karas, John Koeltl, Lewis Liman, James Paul Oetken, Edgardo Ramos, Jennifer Rearden, Jennifer Rochon, Nelson S. Roman, Cathy Seibel, Arun Subramanian, Laura Swain, Analisa Torres, Jeannette Vargas, Mary Kay Vyskocil, Gregory Howard Woods; Senior judges:; Richard Berman, Vincent L. Briccetti, Naomi Buchwald, Valerie Caproni, Kevin Castel, Denise Cote, Paul Crotty, George Daniels, Paul Gardephe, Charles Haight, Alvin Hellerstein, Lewis Kaplan, John Keenan, Victor Marrero, Colleen McMahon, Loretta Preska, Jed Rakoff, Lorna Schofield, Louis Stanton, Sidney Stein, Kimba Wood

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Jeannette A. Vargas
	Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Progress
	Confirmed 173 days after nomination.
	Nominated: March 21, 2024
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: April 17, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: May 9, 2024
	Confirmed: September 10, 2024
	Vote: 51-43

Jeannette Vargas is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on March 21, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 10, 2024, by a vote of 51-43.^[1]^[2]^[3] Vargas was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Vargas was an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.^[2]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On March 21, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Vargas to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.^[2] Vargas received commission on November 6, 2024.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Vargas by a vote of 51-43 on September 10, 2024.^[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Vargas confirmation vote (September 10, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	45	0	2
Republican	2	43	4
Independent	4	0	0
Total	51^[4]	43	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Vargas' nomination on April 17, 2024.^[5] Vargas was reported to the full Senate on May 9, 2024, after a 11-10 committee vote.^[6]

Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On March 21, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Vargas to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Vargas well qualified.^[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Vargas was nominated to replace Judge Paul Gardephe, who assumed senior status on August 9, 2023.^[8]

Biography

Early life and education

Jeannette Vargas was born in Flushing, New York. She earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1995 and a law degree from Yale Law School in 2000.^[1]

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
2002-2024: Assistant U.S. attorney, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- 2016-2024: Deputy chief, Civil Division
- 2014-2016: Senior trial counsel
- 2010-2014: Chief, Tax and Bankruptcy Unit
- 2009-2010: Deputy chief, Tax and Bankruptcy Unit
2001-2002: Law clerk, Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
2000-2001: Private practice, New York City^[1]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is one of 94 United States district courts. The Southern District is one of the most influential and active federal district courts in the United States, largely because of its jurisdiction over New York's major financial centers. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in Lower Manhattan at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse. The Southern District of New York has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The court shares geographic jurisdiction over New York City with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which manages Brooklyn, Queens, and Richmond (Staten Island) counties, along with Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.