WASHINGTON — Following the confirmation of Nicholas Ranjan to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., voiced their approval.
“Nicholas Ranjan will make an excellent addition to the federal bench and I am pleased the Senate confirmed him,” said Toomey. “Mr. Ranjan’s law firm, government, and pro bono legal experience will serve him well as a judge. I am confident he will be an impartial jurist who treats everyone fairly.”
Casey had similar comments.
“Mr. Ranjan’s experience as a federal law clerk and his years of working in private practice in Pittsburgh will serve him well on the District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania,” said Casey. “I believe he has the necessary intellect, character and independence needed to serve as a federal judge.”
In January 2019, President Trump re-nominated Ranjan upon the joint recommendation of Toomey and Casey.
Since 2011, Toomey and Casey have worked together, in a bipartisan fashion, to fill vacancies on the federal bench in Pennsylvania. Together they have now vetted, recommended, and confirmed 20 Federal District Court Judges for Pennsylvania. Only three states — California, New York, and Texas — have had more district court judges confirmed to their federal benches during this time.
Ranjan is an equity partner in the Pittsburgh office of K&L Gates LLP, where he litigates commercial, energy, and appellate matters. He has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top commercial litigators in Pennsylvania multiple times, and has been a fellow with the Litigation Counsel of America and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. While at K&L Gates, he has served on the firm’s global pro bono and diversity committees, and directed his office’s pro bono program, which was awarded “pro bono law firm of the year” in 2017 by the local bar association. He is active in the community, serving on legal diversity and symphony boards, as well as serving as a mentor to local middle school students. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he served as a law clerk to Judge Deborah L. Cook of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Upon graduation from law school, Ranjan served as a Simon Karas Fellow with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, working with the State Solicitor General on the office’s major appeals. Ranjan earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Grove City College and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a note editor of The Michigan Law Review.
