View remarks on Senate floor here
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand applauded the confirmation of Natasha Merle to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Senator Gillibrand recommended Ms. Merle to President Biden in 2021 and she was nominated in 2022.
“I am honored and grateful that the Senate has voted to confirm Ms. Merle to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Ms. Merle is an extraordinary and dedicated attorney who devoted her career to advancing equal justice. Our legal system will be well served by her sharp legal mind, exceptional understanding of federal law and demonstrated commitment to civil rights.”
Natasha C. Merle has served as Deputy Director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. since 2021. She previously served as Assistant Counsel and then Senior Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. from 2016 to 2021. From 2013 to 2015, she was a litigation associate and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Fellow at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York. From 2011 to 2012, Ms. Merle was an Assistant Federal Public Defender at the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and from 2009 to 2011, Ms. Merle was a staff attorney at the Gulf Region Advocacy Center. She served as a law clerk for Judge John Gleeson on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 2012 to 2013. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Robert L. Carter on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2008 to 2009. Ms. Merle received her J.D., cum laude, from the New York University School of Law in 2008 and her B.A., with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005.