Maria Araújo Kahn

Maria Araújo Kahn (born August 20, 1964) is an American lawyer who is serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She previously served as an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 2017 to 2023.

Early life and education
Kahn was born in 1964 in Benguela, Angola to Portuguese parents. She immigrated to the United States when she was ten years old and speaks fluent Portuguese and Spanish. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 1986 and her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1989.

Career
Kahn clerked for Judge Peter Collins Dorsey of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut from 1989 to 1991 before serving as a public defender for the State of Connecticut from 1991 to 1993. From 1993 to 1997, Kahn was a staff attorney at the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities. She then served as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting medical fraud, computer fraud, and white collar criminal cases from 1997 to 2006. She was also an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Connecticut Superior Court
Kahn was appointed to the New Haven County Superior Court in April 2006.

Consideration for federal district court
In February 2013, Kahn was named as one of five finalists being considered for nomination to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut left vacant when Judge Mark R. Kravitz died in September 2012.

Connecticut Appellate Court
On May 2, 2017, Governor Dannel Malloy nominated Kahn to the Connecticut Appellate Court. Her appointment and confirmation created a female majority on the court.

Connecticut Supreme Court
On October 4, 2017, Governor Malloy nominated Kahn to the Connecticut Supreme Court. She was confirmed and sworn into office on November 1, 2017.

Federal judicial service
On July 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Kahn to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Second Circuit. On August 1, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Kahn to the seat that was vacated by Judge José A. Cabranes, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On September 21, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On December 1, 2022, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by a 12–10 vote. On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate; she was renominated later the same day. On February 2, 2023, her nomination was favorably reported by the committee by an 11–9 vote. On February 13, 2023, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on her nomination. On February 16, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 50–44 vote. On March 9, 2023, her nomination was confirmed by a 51–42 vote. She received her judicial commission on March 10, 2023.