Deborah Boardman
Deborah Lynn Boardman (born 1974) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and former United States Magistrate Judge of the same court. Early life and education. Boardman was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and grew up in Frederick, Maryland. Boardman has been described as being of Palestinian descent on her mother's side. She received her Bachelor of Arts, "summa cum laude", from Villanova University in 1996 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2000. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Amman , Jordan. Legal career. Boardman began her career as a law clerk for Judge James C. Cacheris of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2008, she worked as an associate at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) in Washington, D.C. where she was selected to serve as the senior associate in the firm's pro bono department. From 2008 to 2019, she served at the Federal Public Defender's Office for the District of Maryland, including four years as the first assistant federal public defender. Federal judicial service. United States  magistrate judge service. On September 23, 2019, Boardman was selected to be a United States magistrate judge of the District of Maryland. She was sworn into office on September 25, 2019. Her service as a magistrate judge ended when she was commissioned as a district judge in June 2021. District court service. On March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Boardman to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. On April 19, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Boardman to  the seat vacated by Judge Richard D. Bennett, who had announced his intent to take senior status upon the confirmation of his successor. On May 12, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 10, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by party-line vote of 11–10; Senator Lindsey Graham voted "present". On June 23, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 52–48 vote after the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination earlier that day by a 52-48 vote. She received her judicial commission on June 25, 2021. She was  sworn in on July 1, 2021.