Charnelle Bjelkengren
Charnelle Marie Bjelkengren (born 1975) is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Spokane County Superior Court since 2019. She is a nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Education 

Bjelkengren received a Bachelor of Arts from Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University), cum laude, in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2000. Career 

From 2001 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2013, Bjelkengren served as an assistant attorney general in the Washington State Attorney General's office. From 2013 to 2019, she served as an administrative law judge for Washington State's Office of Administrative Hearings. Since 2019, she has served as a judge on the Spokane County Superior Court. Nomination to district court 

On September 2, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Bjelkengren to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on the seat vacated by Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr., who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 16, 2022. Bjelkengren was recommended to Biden by senator Patty Murray. On September 19, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. She was renominated on January 23, 2023. On January 25, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing, Bjelkengren could not answer questions from Senator John Kennedy about the United States Constitution, including the functions of Article II and Article V and the meaning of purposivism. Bjelkengren was subsequently sharply criticized by other Senate Republicans, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noting that Bjelkengren had a lack of experience in the federal court system and could only name six cases when asked for her top ten list of the most impactful cases she had ever litigated in court. Bjelkengren received a "Qualified" rating from the American Bar Association. On May 11, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote. Her nomination is pending before the United States Senate. If confirmed, Bjelkengren would be the first Black woman to serve as a judge in the state and the first woman of color in the district. See also 
 Joe Biden judicial appointment controversies

References 

1975 births
Living people
20th-century American women lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women judges
African-American judges
African-American women lawyers
Gonzaga University School of Law alumni
Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni
People from Great Lakes, Illinois
Superior court judges in the United States
20th-century African-American lawyers
21st-century African-American lawyers