District of Connecticut / Appointed 2024 / Active
Sarah French Russell
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2024 and confirmed by the Senate 50–44, Sarah French Russell is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. She earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 2002. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1976 · age 50
- Appointed by
- Joseph R. Biden, 2024
- Confirmed
- 50–44
- Education
- Yale 1998 · Yale Law School 2002
- Succeeded
- Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | District of Connecticut succeeded Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam | Biden (D) | 50–44 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 50–44 on November 19, 2024 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 287. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 50
47 D, 3 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Laphonza Butler(D-CA)
- 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)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- George Helmy(D-NJ)
- 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)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- 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 · 44
43 R, 1 I
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- 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)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- 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)
- Joseph Manchin(I-WV)
- 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)
- 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)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Did not vote · 6
6 R
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Bill Hagerty(R-TN)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- J. Vance(R-OH)
Education
| Yale University | B.A. | 1998 |
| Yale Law School | J.D. | 2002 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Michael B. Mukasey, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York | 2002-2003 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Chester J. Straub, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit | 2003-2005 |
| Assistant federal public defender, District of Connecticut | 2005-2007 |
| Associate research scholar, lecturer, and director of Arthur Liman Public Interest Program, Yale Law School | 2007-2010 |
| Quinnipiac University School of Law | 2011-2024 |
| Assistant professor | 2011-2013 |
| Associate professor | 2013-2015 |
| Professor | 2015-2024 |
| Director of Criminal Law and Advocacy Concentration | 2015-2024 |
| Member of Executive Committee | 2016-2024 |
| Director of Legal Clinic | 2019-2024 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Sarah French Russell?
- President Joseph R. Biden appointed Sarah French Russell to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in 2024.
- Was Sarah French Russell appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Sarah French Russell was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Sarah French Russell's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Sarah French Russell 50–44 on November 19, 2024.
- Which court is Sarah French Russell on?
- Sarah French Russell is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
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, 2024)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
1 year on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).