Blumenthal & Murphy Applaud the Nominations of Sarah Merriam, Sarala Nagala & Omar Williams to Serve on the U.S. District Court

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) today applauded President Biden’s nomination of Sarah Merriam, Sarala Nagala, and Omar Williams to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

“We were proud to recommend Judge Sarah Merriam, Sarala Nagala, and Judge Omar Williams for consideration by the White House, and today we are thrilled to announce that President Biden has nominated these immensely qualified individuals to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut,” said Blumenthal and Murphy. “These outstanding nominees have a diverse set of experiences – both in life and in the law – but they all share a deep and abiding commitment to fair and equal justice. Each is a real star – deeply committed to the rule of law, and equality and equity in enforcement. We look forward to seeing them confirmed as quickly as possible.”

Judge Sarah Merriam has served as a United States Magistrate Judge of the District Court for the District of Connecticut since 2015. Judge Merriam served as an Assistant Federal Defender in the District of Connecticut from 2007 through 2015. Judge Merriam worked as a law clerk to Judge Thomas Meskill of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to Judge Alvin Thompson of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Judge Merriam attended Georgetown University for her undergraduate degree, and began her legal education at the University of Connecticut School of Law before transferring to Yale Law School, from which she received her Juris Doctor in 2000.

Sarala Nagala is an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. In the U.S. Attorney’s office, Ms. Nagala has concentrated on hate crimes and crimes relating to human trafficking and child exploitation; she serves as the U.S. Attorney’s Hate Crimes Coordinator, Human Trafficking Coordinator and on the Connecticut Bar Association’s Human Trafficking Subcommittee. Ms. Nagala worked as a law clerk to Judge Susan Graber of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her Juris Doctor from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law in 2008.

Judge Omar Williams has served as a Judge on the Connecticut Superior Court since 2014. After first gaining experience defending indigent clients while participating in a criminal trial clinic as a law student, Judge Williams spent eleven years working as a public defender in New Haven. Judge Williams received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2002.

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