6. Julio M. Fuentes
Julio M. Fuentes (born February 16, 1946) is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve the Third Circuit.
Fuentes’ name originally had been put forth for a District Court opening by then-Senator Robert Torricelli of New Jersey. President Bill Clinton’s staff interviewed Fuentes and instead opted to bring forth Fuentes’ name as a nominee at the court of appeals level. Clinton nominated Fuentes to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit seat on March 8, 1999.
The United States Senate Judiciary Committee approved Fuentes’ nomination on March 2, 2000, and the full United States Senate confirmed Fuentes by a 93-0 vote on March 7, 2000. Fuentes received his commission on March 9, 2000 and was sworn in on May 15, 2000.[9] “I intend to honor this trust every day,” Fuentes told a standing ovation as he was sworn in, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger.He took senior status on July 18, 2016.