Julie Rikelman

First Circuit
	Court of Appeals
Judgeships
	Posts: 6
	Judges: 5
	Vacancies: 1
Judges
	Chief:
	Active judges: Seth Aframe, David Barron, Gustavo Gelpí, Lara Montecalvo, Julie Rikelman; Senior judges:; Levin Hicks Campbell, Jeffrey R. Howard, William Kayatta, Kermit Lipez, Sandra Lea Lynch, Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Julie Rikelman
	Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
Progress
	Confirmed 323 days after nomination.
	Nominated: August 1, 2022
	ABA Rating: Well qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: September 21, 2022
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: December 1, 2022 (initial nomination)/ February 9, 2023 (second nomination)
	Confirmed: June 20, 2023
	Vote: 51-43

Julie Rikelman is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. President Joe Biden (D) initially nominated her to the court on August 1, 2022.^[1]^[2] Rikelman's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023.^[3] The president renominated her on the same day and she was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 20, 2023, by a vote of 51-43.^[4]^[5] Rikelman 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 Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Rikelman was the United States litigation director for the Center for Reproductive Rights.^[2]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit (2023-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On August 1, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) initially nominated Rikelman to the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.^[2] She was confirmed by a 51-43 vote of the U.S. Senate on June 20, 2023.^[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Rikelman by a vote of 51-43 on June 20, 2023.^[4] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Julie Rikelman confirmation vote (June 20, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	2
Republican	2	43	4
Independent	3	0	0
Total	51	43	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Rikelman's nomination on September 21, 2022. On December 1, 2022, the committee voted 11-11 to report her nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. As a result, Rikelman was not reported to the full Senate.^[7]

Rikelman's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023.^[8] The president renominated Rikelman on the same day.^[4] In a committee hearing on February 9, 2023, Rikelman was reported to the full Senate, after an 11-10 committee vote.^[5]

Nomination

On July 29, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Rikelman to the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. The president officially nominated Rikelman on August 1, 2022.^[2]^[1]

Rikelman was nominated to replace Judge Sandra Lea Lynch, who announced she would assume senior status upon the confirmation of her successor.^[1]

The American Bar Association rated Rikelman well qualified.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Rikelman's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023.^[10] The president renominated Rikelman on the same day.^[4]

Biography

Early life and education

Rikelman was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and immigrated to the United States in 1979. She earned an A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1993 and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1997.^[2]

Professional career

2023-present: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
2011-2023: United States litigation director, Center for Reproductive Rights
2006-2011: Vice president of litigation and other roles, NBC Universal, Inc.
2004-2006: Senior associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York
2001-2004: Associate, Feldman & Orlansky, Anchorage, Alaska
1999-2001: Blackmun fellow, Center for Reproductive Rights
1998-1999: Law clerk for Judge Morton Greenberg, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
1997-1998: Law clerk for Justice Dana Fabe, Alaska Supreme Court^[2]

About the court

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Appeals are heard in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts. There is another circuit courthouse located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the court sits for two weeks a year.

Two judges of the First Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Stephen Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 by Bill Clinton (D), and David Souter was appointed in 1990 by George H. W. Bush (R).

The First Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases fall under federal law, and may be either civil or criminal in nature. Appeals of rulings by the First Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John Roberts is the circuit justice for the First Circuit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit has jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts:

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.