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Sen. Kay Hagan announced on her conference call this morning that President Obama had nominated two North Carolina judges to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals:

• Judge James “Jim” Wynn currently sits on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Link
• Judge Albert Diaz is a superior court judge in Mecklenburg County who handles complex business cases. Link

Click here for the Fourth Circuit's web site.

Update: Editorial writer Doug Clark weighs in here.

 From a Hagan release:

The 4th Circuit serves five states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. North Carolina, the largest and fastest growing of the five states in the 4th Circuit, has been historically underrepresented on the 15-judge panel. Dating back to the establishment of the 4th Circuit in 1801, North Carolina has had only six judges serve on the panel. Currently, Judge Allyson Duncan is the only judge from North Carolina. Upon taking office in January, Senator Hagan made it a top priority to increase North Carolina’s representation on the court.

Hagan has been pounding away at this issue since she was elected and getting these two appointments is a win for her.

“I’m going to be working very hard to ensure this confirmation process is smooth,” Hagan said.

Update: The following was just issued by the White House:

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge Albert Diaz and Judge James Wynn to serve on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Diaz currently serves as a Special Superior Court Judge in North Carolina and Wynn currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

“Judges Diaz and Wynn have been exceptional public servants for the people of North Carolina and I am honored to nominate them today to serve from the federal bench,” said President Obama. “Their distinguished judicial careers leave no doubt that they will be esteemed additions to the Fourth Circuit.”

Judge Albert Diaz: Nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge Albert Diaz currently serves as a Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases, one of only three in the state of North Carolina. Judge Diaz began his legal career in the United States Marine Corps Legal Services Support Section, where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and ultimately Chief Review Officer. He then moved to the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG), where he served for four years as appellate government counsel handling criminal appeals. In 1995, Judge Diaz left active duty in the Marine Corps and worked as an associate at Hunton & Williams with a primary focus on commercial litigation. He remained in the Marine Corps Reserves while in private practice, serving as Reserve Appellate Defense Counsel in the Navy’s JAG Corps, a Reserve Military Judge in the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, and a Reserve Appellate Military Judge in the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps’ Court of Criminal Appeals. He resigned as a military judge when he retired from the Marine Corps in 2006. Judge Diaz was the first Latino appointed to the North Carolina Superior Court when he was named as a Resident Superior Court Judge in 2001. In 2002, he was appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge and he was designated as Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases in 2005. He earned a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1983, and received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1988. He also earned a Masters degree in Business Administration from Boston University in 1993. Judge Diaz is a nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and received a rating of unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association.

Judge James Wynn: Nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Judge James Wynn currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate appellate court. Prior to taking the bench in 1990, he served as an appellate public defender and worked in private practice. He is a certified Military Trial Judge and a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He served on active duty in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps from 1979 to 1983. He has received the Meritorious Service Medal three times, the Navy Commendation Medal twice, the Naval Reserve Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal. He is the Chair of the American Bar Association Judicial Division, a former Chair of the Association’s Appellate Judges Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary. He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 , his J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1977 , and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995 . Judge Wynn is a nominee for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and received a rating of unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association.