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Federal defender, rights attorney nominated by Biden as judges for Atlanta federal court

Victoria Calvert, an attorney in the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta, and Sarah Geraghty, an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights, were nominated.

ATLANTA — President Joe Biden named on Thursday a federal defender and a staff attorney with the Southern Center for Human Rights as judicial appointments to the federal district court in Atlanta.

The White House announced a number of judicial nominations for federal district courts around the country, including two for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Those two include Victoria Calvert, an attorney in the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta since 2012, and Sarah Geraghty, an attorney at the Law Office of the Southern Center for Human Rights for nearly two decades.

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According to the White House, if confirmed Calvert would become the second Black woman judge on the Northern Georgia district court, and its first former federal defender.

Prior to joining the Federal Defender Program, Calvert was an associate at Atlanta powerhouse legal firm King & Spalding. At the practice, according to the White House, she "represented clients in the Special Matters and Government Investigations group, and engaged in substantial pro bono work."

Calvert is a Duke University graduate who received her law degree from New York University Law School in 2006.

Geraghty has a long history with the Southern Center for Human Rights, which is based in Atlanta, most recently as its senior counsel. She graduated from Northwestern University in 1996, received a M.S.W. from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 1998 and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1999.

The nominations were applauded by Georgia's Democratic senators, Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Ossoff said he was "confident both of these historic nominees will impartially uphold and apply the law, without fear or favor, guided by their commitments to truth, integrity, and justice."

“As a pastor and public servant who has long worked to strengthen justice and fairness in our nation’s judicial system, and now as a U.S. Senator for Georgia, I’m thrilled the White House followed my and Senator Ossoff’s recommendation and chose two extremely qualified nominees to the Northern District,” Warnock said.

Both pledged to support them through the confirmation process.

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