President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced he would nominate Keli M. Neary to the U.S.District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, part of Biden’s 53rd round of nominees for federal judicial positions. Neary is Executive Deputy Attorney General for the Civil Law Division of the state Office of Attorney General, a role she’s served in since 2019.
Neary has held several roles within the OAG since joining the office in 2012, including as a Deputy, Senior Deputy, and then Chief Deputy Attorney General in the Civil Law Division. Before that she was assistant counsel to the Pennsylvania State Police’s Office of Chief Counsel, after serving as a a law clerk for Judges C. Joseph Rehkamp, Kathy Morrow and Keith B. Quigley on the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas from 2006 to 2007.
Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey praised Neary’s nomination. “Her work in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, where she led the Civil Law Division, has been marked by a tireless defense of the Constitution and the rights of Pennsylvanians,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I am confident she will serve the people of Pennsylvania with distinction.”
Casey said Neary had “served a vital role in keeping Pennsylvania communities safe and fighting for equal justice for all. I look forward to her swift confirmation by the Senate.”
Neary holds a law degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
Biden has now announced 254 nominees to federal courts, according to the White House. Former President Donald Trump had 234 judges confirmed during his term, including three nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.