On March 31, 2011, President Obama nominated Judge Nathan to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. On November 18, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated current U.S. District Court Judge Alison J. Nathan to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Nathan presided over the high-profile trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, which began on November 29, 2021.