Omar A. Williams

District of Connecticut
	Second Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 8
	Judges: 7
	Vacancies: 1
Judges
	Chief: Michael Shea
	Active judges: Victor Allen Bolden, Kari A. Dooley, Sarala Nagala, Vernon D. Oliver, Sarah Russell, Michael Shea, Omar A. Williams; Senior judges:; Vanessa Bryant, Robert Chatigny, Alfred Covello, Janet Hall, Alvin Thompson, Stefan Underhill

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Omar Williams
	Court: United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
Progress
	Confirmed 135 days after nomination.
	Nominated: June 15, 2021
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: July 27, 2021
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: September 23, 2021
	Confirmed: October 28, 2021
	Vote: 52-46

Omar A. Williams is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on June 15, 2021, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 28, 2021, by a vote of 52-46.^[1]^[2]^[3] Williams 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 District of Connecticut 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 his confirmation, Williams was a judge for the New London District Superior Court in Connecticut.^[4] Williams was appointed to the court by Governor Dannel Malloy in 2014.^[5]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (2021-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Williams to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He was confirmed by a 52-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on October 28, 2021.^[1]^[2]^[3] Williams received commission on November 12, 2021.^[6] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Williams by a vote of 52-46 on October 28, 2021.^[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Williams confirmation vote (October 28, 2021)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	3	46	1
Independent	2	0	0
Total	52	46	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Williams' nomination on July 27, 2021. The committee voted to advance Williams' nomination to the full Senate on September 23, 2021.

Nomination

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Williams to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Williams was nominated to replace Judge Alvin Thompson, who assumed senior status on August 31, 2018.^[1]^[7]

The American Bar Association rated Williams Well Qualified.^[8] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Williams earned his B.A. from the University of Connecticut and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law.^[5]

Professional career

Prior to joining the court, Williams was an assistant public defender for the state of Connecticut.^[5]

About the court

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut is one of 94 United States district courts. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. 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 in the New York City area.

The Counties of Connecticut (click for larger map)

The District of Connecticut has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The jurisdiction of the District of Connecticut consists of all the counties in the state of Connecticut.

The court's headquarters are in New Haven, with additional courthouses in Bridgeport and Hartford.

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.

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the District of Connecticut 2021-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	New London District Superior Court 2014-2021	Succeeded by -