The Senate considered President Joe Biden’s nomination of Holly A. Thomas to serve as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit is one of the nation’s most powerful courts, with jurisdiction over more land and more people than any other court except the United States Supreme Court. Federal judges serve for life and the laws that protect our environment and democracy are only as strong as the judges who uphold and enforce them. Before becoming a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Thomas litigated in prestigious governmental and nonprofit positions to advance fair employment and housing, LGBTQ+ rights, and school desegregation, among other important causes. As a Black woman and as a career public-interest lawyer, Thomas brings personal and professional diversity to a judiciary that has long been dominated by White male judges appointed after careers in private law firms or as prosecutors. On January 20, the Senate confirmed Thomas to be a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by a vote of 48-40 (Senate roll call vote 11). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.