President Joe Biden has been given a fifth opportunity to influence the national judiciary with Judge William J. Kayatta Jr.’s announcement that he will step down from his active role on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. This shift to senior status by Kayatta, an appointee of President Obama, amounts to a form of semi-retirement for the judge who has served in the Boston-based court for approximately a decade.
The Administrative Office of the US Courts publicly disclosed Judge Kayatta’s intent on their website, which lists future judicial vacancies. The president has already filled three other vacancies on the First Circuit court thus far.
As Kayatta has consistently presided in his home state of Maine, a new appointment to this now-available position will carry influence in New England’s legal landscape. Biden’s current nomination for a separate New Hampshire vacancy on the First Circuit court continues its navigation through the selection process.
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