Biden judicial nominee withdraws from consideration

Colleen Holland, a career law clerk, has asked the White House to withdraw her nomination to be a federal trial judge in the Western District of New York.

In a statement Tuesday, Holland cited personal reasons for requesting the White House not re-nominate her.

“I have asked the President not to resubmit my nomination to the Senate. This was a personal decision made after careful consideration,” Holland wrote in a statement.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that he respected the decision and thanked her for her service.

“We respect Ms. Holland’s decision and thank her for her continued public service to the Western District as an accomplished lawyer, of profound integrity and legal intellect. We will move expeditiously with the administration to nominate a person for this important judicial position,” the statement read.

At the time of the announcement, Holland was 39 years old, which is younger than most nominees to the federal bench. A hearing for Holland’s nomination had not been scheduled yet.

Holland has served as special counsel to the chief judge of the Western District of New York since 2021. Before that, she was a career law clerk for the same judge since 2018. She also worked as an associate at several law firms.

Biden nominated Holland and three others in August, reportedly upon Schumer’s recommendation, saying they were all “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.”