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Senate confirms Northern District of Ohio federal judge nominees

Three new judges will soon take the bench in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

The U.S. Senate on Feb. 1 confirmed all three of President Joe Biden’s nominees for lifetime appointments in the federal court. Bridget Meehan Brennan, Charles Esque Fleming and David Augustin Ruiz were nominated by the president following the recommendations of Ohio’s U.S. senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio serves the state’s 40 most northern counties. It has courts located in Cleveland, Akron, Toledo and Youngstown.

“It was my honor to recommend these three highly qualified nominees to serve in the Northern District of Ohio,” Brown said in a statement. “Their swift confirmations by the full Senate is a testament to their qualifications. Each of these nominees brings with them not only impressive legal credentials, but also life experiences, empathy, and deep commitment to justice. I know they will serve honorably on behalf of the people of Ohio.”

Brennan served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio since January 2021. She has held a number of leadership roles since joining the office in 2007, according to a news release from Brown’s and Portman’s offices. She was the office’s first assistant from 2018 to 2021, chief of the criminal division from 2017 to 2018, chief of the civil rights unit from 2015 to 2017 and ethics advisor from 2013 to 2018. She will be the fifth woman currently serving on the bench in the Northern District of Ohio.

Fleming served as an assistant federal public defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland since 1991. He was the investigative and paralegal staff supervisor from 2010 to 2016 and the Cleveland Trial Team supervisor from 2016 to 2021. He will be the only African-American man serving as an active-duty judge for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ruiz served as a magistrate judge for the Northern District of Ohio court since 2016. He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from 2010 to 2016. Ruiz will be the first Latino federal judge in Ohio’s history, according to Brown’s and Portman’s offices.

“I’d like to congratulate Ms. Brennan, Mr. Fleming, and Judge Ruiz on their confirmation to the bench in the Northern District of Ohio by the U.S. Senate,” Portman said in a statement. “I was proud to recommend them to serve and know they will serve Ohio honorably.”