Biden taps federal prosecutor to replace Atlanta judge

President Joe Biden has nominated a federal prosecutor to replace a Northern District of Georgia judge taking senior status at the start of 2025.

Tiffany R. Johnson is Biden’s third placement on the court, which has jurisdiction over federal cases in 46 counties. It is one of three federal trial courts in Georgia, and has courthouses in Atlanta, Rome, Newnan and Gainesville.

Johnson, 37, has been an Assistant United States Attorney in Northern Georgia since 2017. She initially served in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia before switching to the criminal division in 2020. If her nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Johnson will replace U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, who announced in May his plan to become a senior judge on Jan. 1.

Senior judges continue to serve, often with a reduced caseload. Jones said he plans to retain all of his pending cases as a senior judge while accepting a limited number of new cases.

The White House said Johnson is part of Biden’s 53rd round of judicial nominees. He has now nominated 254 people for seats on federal courts nationwide. Johnson and others nominated in the latest round are “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution,” The White House said in a news release.

“These choices also continue to fulfill the president’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country – both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” The White House said.

Of the Northern District of Georgia’s 15 district judges, 10 were appointed by Democrats. Biden nominated Victoria M. Calvert and Sarah E. Geraghty to the court in 2021 and both were confirmed the following year.

Biden has also selected two judges for the federal appeals court based in Atlanta , which has jurisdiction over Georgia, Florida and Alabama. That court, known as the 11th Circuit, is considered one of the most conservative federal appellate courts in the country, in large part because former President Donald Trump was able to appoint six of its 12 current judges.

In May, The White House announced the confirmation of Biden’s 200th judicial nominee. Of those new federal judges, 64% are women and 62% are people of color, The White House said. They include Nancy G. Abudu, the first Black woman on the 11th Circuit bench.

Johnson did not immediately respond to questions about her nomination.

Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Johnson worked as a litigation associate in the Atlanta law firm Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs. She received her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina in 2012 and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in December of that year. Johnson got her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 2009.

Carl W. Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who specializes in federal judicial selection, said Johnson’s experience as a litigator and a federal attorney in both criminal and civil cases is “exactly what you’d hope for a judge.” He said other federal judges have been appointed in their 30s and that Johnson looks like a strong candidate.

Johnson could be confirmed by the end of the year, Tobias said.

“I’m cautiously optimistic she’ll have a hearing in September,” he said.

Federal judges generally have lifetime appointments. They can take senior status after serving at least 10 years.

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