Orelia Eleta Merchant
Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate 51–48, Orelia Eleta Merchant is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She earned a law degree from Tulane University Law School in 1998. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1971 · age 55
- Appointed by
- Joseph R. Biden, 2023
- Confirmed
- 51–48
- Education
- Dillard 1992 · Tulane Law School 1998
- Succeeded
- William Francis Kuntz II
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eastern District of New York succeeded William Francis Kuntz II | Biden (D) | 51–48 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 51–48 on May 3, 2023 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 107. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 51
47 D, 1 R, 3 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- John Fetterman(D-PA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- John Hickenlooper(D-CO)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Mark Kelly(D-AZ)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Ben Lujan(D-NM)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Jon Ossoff(D-GA)
- Alex Padilla(D-CA)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Kyrsten Sinema(I-AZ)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Raphael Warnock(D-GA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Peter Welch(D-VT)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 48
48 R
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Katie Britt(R-AL)
- Ted Budd(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Bill Hagerty(R-TN)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Cynthia Lummis(R-WY)
- Roger Marshall(R-KS)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Markwayne Mullin(R-OK)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Pete Ricketts(R-NE)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Eric Schmitt(R-MO)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Tommy Tuberville(R-AL)
- J. Vance(R-OH)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Did not vote · 1
1 D
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
Education
| Dillard University | B.S. | 1992 |
| College of William and Mary | M.A. | 1995 |
| Tulane University Law School | J.D. | 1998 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Orelia Eleta Merchant?
- President Joseph R. Biden appointed Orelia Eleta Merchant to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in 2023.
- Was Orelia Eleta Merchant appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Orelia Eleta Merchant was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Orelia Eleta Merchant's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Orelia Eleta Merchant 51–48 on May 3, 2023.
- Which court is Orelia Eleta Merchant on?
- Orelia Eleta Merchant is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2023)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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3 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).