U.S. Magistrate Mustafa Kasubhai, a former Lane County judge, has been nominated for a U.S. District Court judgeship in Oregon.

President Joe Biden announced his nomination on Wednesday, Sept. 6. It is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

He was among the nominees submitted by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley from a screening committee. The final selection was up to Biden.

The senators issued this statement:

“The nominee brings an outstanding mix of experience as a federal magistrate, a trial judge in Lane County and attorney in private practice representing workers seeking justice. Magistrate Kasubhai is a standout nominee, and we very much look forward to helping him advance quickly through the Senate confirmation process.”

Kasubhai has been a federal magistrate since 2018. He was on the Lane County bench from 2007 until 2018. From 2003 to 2007, he was a member of the state Workers Compensation Board, and from 1997 to 2003, he was in private practice at three law firms.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1992 from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree in 1996 from the University of Oregon.

His was one of four judicial nominations that Biden announced Wednesday. The White House statement said in part:

“These choices also continue to fulfill the president’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of the greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.”

Biden previously nominated Adrienne Nelson, the first Black justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, for the U.S. District Court judgeship vacated by Michael Mosman at the end of 2021. The Senate confirmed Nelson on a 52-46 vote on Feb. 15 of this year and she resigned from the Oregon Supreme Court on Feb. 24.

Kasubhai would succeed Marco Hernandez, who has announced he will take senior status at the close of this year. Before he became a federal judge in 2011 — he was nominated by both Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama — Hernandez was a lawyer for Legal Aid Services of Oregon and a deputy district attorney in Washington County. Gov. Barbara Roberts appointed him to a judgeship just before she left office in January 1995.