The
American Bar Association (ABA) rated Mizelle "Not Qualified" by a majority and "Qualified" by a minority of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary to serve as a federal trial court judge
[15], noting that "Since her admission to the bar Ms. Mizelle has not tried a case, civil or criminal, as lead or co-counsel."
[16] Before her appointment, the nominee had only taken part in two trials — both one-day trials in a state court conducted while she was still in law school.
[7] Mizelle had eight years of legal experience at the time of her nomination;
[16] the ABA typically requires twelve years in order to give a nominee a rating of "Qualified"...On November 18, 2020, Mizelle's nomination was confirmed by a party-line vote of 49–41.
[18] She thereby joined the first group of judges appointed by a president who had lost reelection at the time of confirmation since 1896, with the exception of
Jimmy Carter's appointment of
Stephen Breyer to the
First Circuit Court of Appeals in November 1980.
[7][19] She received her judicial commission on November 20, 2020.