Nicole G. Berner Confirmed to Fourth Circuit

On March 19, 2024, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Nicole G. Berner of Maryland to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Berner's confirmation fills a vacancy created by the assumption of senior status by the Honorable Diana Gribbon Motz.

Prior to her judicial service, Berner was in private practice from 1999-2004, served as a staff attorney for Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 2004-2006, and practiced as Associate General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) from 2006-2017. In 2017, she became General Counsel of SEIU and a partner at the law firm of James & Hoffman, P.C. on full time retainer to SEIU until 2024. Berner also served on the board of directors of Jobs for Justice from 2019-2024, the National Partnership for Women and Families from 2017-2024, and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy from 2017-2020.

Berner earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, her M.P.P. from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 1997-1998 and for the Honorable Betty B. Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1996-1997.

The Fourth Circuit hears appeals from the nine federal district courts in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and from federal administrative agencies.