Identity

About Sparkle L. Sooknanan

Titles and dates come from the District of Columbia court bio, the Federal Judicial Center, and the Senate roll-call. Emphasis is the compiler’s. Identity confidence: high. The official D.C. district-court portrait is used on this identity page and as the homepage lead. This is not a tribute.

Sparkle L. Sooknanan, U.S. District Court official portrait — Sparkle L. Sooknanan. United States District Court for the District of Columbia official portrait, 30 January 2025. U.S. government work. Court file Judge SLS sml.jpg; Wikimedia Commons File:Judge_Sparkle_Sooknanan.jpg.

Sparkle Leah Sooknanan is a United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. The name is distinctive. The court’s official biography, the Federal Judicial Center directory, and Senate nomination PN1463 (118th Congress) identify the same person. This page is identity only. The episodes live in the posts. This is not the biography the court would write for a ceremonial program.

Documented roles

Born. 1983, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. FJC.
Training. B.S., St. Francis College, 2002 (summa cum laude, court bio); M.B.A., Hofstra University, 2003 (with distinction, court bio); J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 2010 (summa cum laude, court bio). DCD bio.
2010–2014. Clerk, Judge Eric N. Vitaliano, E.D.N.Y. (2010–2011); clerk, Judge Guido Calabresi, Second Circuit (2011–2012); attorney, Civil Division Appellate Staff, DOJ, Attorney General’s Honors Program (2012–2013); clerk, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court (2013–2014). FJC and DCD bio.
2014–2021. Jones Day, Washington, Issues and Appeals; partner 2020. DCD bio. FJC prints “private practice, Washington, D.C., 2014–2021.”
2021–2024. Deputy Associate Attorney General (2021–2023); Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division (2023–2024). FJC.
February 27, 2024. Nominated by Joseph R. Biden to D.D.C., seat vacated by Florence Y. Pan. PN1463. FJC.
December 3, 2024. Senate confirmation, 50–48, vote 306. Senate vote 306.
January 2, 2025–present (as of 2026-08-26). Commissioned United States District Judge, District of Columbia. FJC.

What this site is not

It is not a finding that Judge Sooknanan committed a crime. Articles of impeachment are a House filing, not a conviction. H.Res. 1421 is INTRODUCED and referred to Judiciary. This file will not write “IMPEACHED.” A bar complaint is an allegation. A district-court vacatur or TRO is not a Supreme Court holding. A confirmation vote is not a lifetime shield.

It is not a tribute. It is not a White House product. It is not lawsuit-proof. Read the posts.