On June 12, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Wise to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. On June 13, 2024, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Wise to the seat being vacated by Judge Edward Davila, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[5] On July 10, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6] During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by Republican senators over several magazine articles she had written while serving as a judge. In a 2017 article for Time magazine, Wise questioned how laws that permit or prohibit conduct based on whether someone is a man or a woman should be applied to the approximately five U.S. children born each day with chromosomal or other medical irregularities such that doctors are unable to designate the sex at birth. In a 2020 article for The Atlantic,[7] Wise argued that the judicial branch should "resemble the full range of people in America's communities." She stated "a diverse judicial branch is not a superficial optic" but instead that "Americans are more prone to have confidence and trust in the judicial branch of government if it includes judges who share their physical traits, experiences, or other aspects of their identity."[8][9] On August 1, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–9 vote.[10] On November 21, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 50–49 vote.[11] On December 11, 2024, her nomination was confirmed by a 50–47 vote, with Senator Joe Manchin voting against confirmation.[12] She received her judicial commission on December 19, 2024.[13]
