Southern District of Indiana magistrate judge, Hope native,  and Indiana University grad Doris L. Pryor made history Monday when the U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, designating her as the first Black judge hailing from Indiana to join the bench.

Judge Doris Pryor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to join the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.© U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Pryor was confirmed Monday with 60 votes in favor and 31 votes against. Carl Tobias, the Williams Professor of Law at University of Richmond, told IndyStar the bipartisan show of support was one of the strongest in favor of a recent appellate judge nominee.

Monday’s vote came nearly six months after the Biden Administration announced it was nominating Pryor. Her appointment was recommended by the upper chamber’s Judiciary Committee earlier this year, paving the way for a full Senate vote.