The White House announced on Wednesday that President Barack Obama is expected to nominate an openly gay judge to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Metro Weekly reported.
The president named Darrin Gayles, who has served as a circuit court judge for Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit since 2011 and previously served as a county judge for the same circuit from 2004 to 2011, in his list of four nominees.
If Gayles is confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first out African-American judge to a federal bench. In 2012, Obama nominated William Thomas, another openly gay African-American, to the Senate but was blocked after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took back his support for the nominee.
According to a report in The Huffington Post, a spokeswoman for Rubio said the senator could no longer back his nomination after reviewing his record, which raised "serious concerns" over his "judicial temperament" and "willingness to impose appropriate criminal sanctions."
However, Rubio told Metro Weekly that he doesn't believe he'll have a problem with Gayles' candidacy.
"I welcome today's four nominations to the district courts in Florida. As I previously indicated to the President, I do not anticipate having an objection to moving forward on any of these nominations pending the outcome of the customary background check conducted on every nominee," Rubio said. "I am disappointed, however that given the opportunity to fill four vacancies on the court, the White House has declined to nominate any of the Republican finalists jointly suggested by Senator Nelson and myself."
Steven Thai, press secretary of the Victory Fund, called Gayles a "qualified jurist who will also add diversity to the federal bench" and, if confirmed, "will reflect the talent and commitment that exists in communities that are underrepresented in public service."
In addition to Gayles, the other Southern Florida nominee is Miami-Dade Circuit Judges Beth Bloom. Nominees for Florida's middle district are Putnam County Circuit Judge Carlos Eduardo Mendoza and Orlando attorney Paul Byron.
