Joe Biden

Mr Biden yesterday unveiled 11 nominees for the Federal Circuit, the District Court and the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, of whom nine are women and nine are from an ethnic minority background.

The group includes three black women, as well as what will be the first Muslim federal judge in US history, the first Asian federal judge in Washington D.C., and the first non-white federal judge in the District of Maryland.

The White House said the president “has had a career-long commitment to the strength of the federal judiciary, and that is reflected in the historically fast pace at which he has moved to fill vacancies on the federal bench”.

Mr Biden said: “This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession.

“Each is deeply qualified and prepared to deliver justice faithfully under our Constitution and impartially to the American people — and together they represent the broad diversity of background, experience, and perspective that makes our nation strong.”