Sparkle Sooknanan

District of Columbia
	District of Columbia Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 15
	Judges: 15
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: James E. Boasberg
	Active judges: ; Amir Ali, Loren AliKhan, James E. Boasberg, Tanya S. Chutkan, Jia Cobb, Rudolph Contreras, Christopher Reid Cooper, Dabney Friedrich, Timothy J. Kelly, Trevor McFadden, Amit Priyavadan Mehta, Randolph D. Moss, Carl Nichols, Ana C. Reyes, Sparkle Sooknanan; Senior judges:; John Deacon Bates, Rosemary Collyer, Paul Friedman, Joyce Hens Green, Thomas Hogan, Beryl A. Howell, Ellen Huvelle, Amy B. Jackson, Henry Kennedy, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, Royce Lamberth, Richard Leon, Richard Roberts, Barbara Rothstein, Emmet G. Sullivan, Reggie Walton

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Sparkle Sooknanan
	Court: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Progress
	Confirmed 280 days after nomination.
	Nominated: February 27, 2024
	ABA Rating: Well qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: March 20, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: April 18, 2024
	Confirmed: December 3, 2024
	Vote: 50-48

Sparkle Sooknanan is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on February 27, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 3, 2024, by a vote of 50-48.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia 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, Sooknanan was Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2025-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On February 27, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Sooknanan to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.^[2] Sooknanan received commission on January 2, 2025.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Sooknanan by a vote of 50-48 on December 3, 2024.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Sooknanan confirmation vote (December 3, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	0
Republican	0	48	1
Independent	3	0	1
Total	50^[4]	48	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Sooknanan's nomination on March 20, 2024. The committee voted to advance Sooknanan's nomination to the full Senate on April 18, 2024.^[2]Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On February 27, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Sparkle Sooknanan to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.^[2]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Sooknanan Well Qualified.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Sooknanan was nominated to replace Judge Florence Pan, who was elevated to United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on September 26, 2022.^[6]

Biography

Early life and education

Sooknanan was born in 1983 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. She earned a bachelor's degree from St. Francis College in 2002, an M.B.A. from Hofstra University in 2003, and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2010.^[1]

Professional career

2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
2023-2024: Principal deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
2021-2023: Deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice
2014-2021: Private practice, Washington, D.C.
2013-2014: Law clerk, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court of the United States
2012-2013: Attorney, appellate staff, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice
2011-2012: Law clerk, Guido Calabresi, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
2010-2011: Law clerk, Eric Vitaliano, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York^[1]

About the court

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is one of 94 United States district courts. Cases dealing with the laws of the District of Columbia are heard by this court only under the same circumstances that would cause a case under state law to come before a federal court. Appeals from this court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The court sits in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse located on Constitution Avenue NW. The District has no local district attorney or equivalent, and so prosecutorial matters fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

The District Court for the District of Columbia has original jurisdiction over cases filed in the District of Columbia. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The D.C. District Court hears federal cases within the District of Columbia. Its appellate court is the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

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.