District of Columbia / Appointed 2025 / Active
Sparkle Leah Sooknanan
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2025 and confirmed by the Senate 50–48, Sparkle Leah Sooknanan is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She earned a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2010. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1983 · age 43
- Appointed by
- Joseph R. Biden, 2025
- Confirmed
- 50–48
- Education
- St. Francis College 2002 · Brooklyn Law School 2010
- Succeeded
- Florence Y. Pan
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | District of Columbia succeeded Florence Y. Pan | Biden (D) | 50–48 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 50–48 on December 3, 2024 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 306. 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)
- Joseph Manchin(I-WV)
- 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)
- 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)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- 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)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Did not vote · 2
1 R, 1 I
- Kyrsten Sinema(I-AZ)
- J. Vance(R-OH)
Education
| St. Francis College | B.S. | 2002 |
| Hofstra University | M.B.A. | 2003 |
| Brooklyn Law School | J.D. | 2010 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Eric N. Vitaliano, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York | 2010-2011 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit | 2011-2012 |
| Attorney, appellate staff, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice | 2012-2013 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court of the United States | 2013-2014 |
| Private practice, Washington, D.C. | 2014-2021 |
| Deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice | 2021-2023 |
| Principal deputy assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice | 2023-2024 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Sparkle Leah Sooknanan?
- President Joseph R. Biden appointed Sparkle Leah Sooknanan to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2025.
- Was Sparkle Leah Sooknanan appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Sparkle Leah Sooknanan was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Sparkle Leah Sooknanan's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Sparkle Leah Sooknanan 50–48 on December 3, 2024.
- Which court is Sparkle Leah Sooknanan on?
- Sparkle Leah Sooknanan is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2024)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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1 year on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).