Former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney, currently a shareholder in the McLane Middleton law firm, has been nominated by President Biden for a seat on the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

He is being nominated to fill the seat of Jeff Howard, also a former New Hampshire AG, who retired as a full-time judge to take senior judicial status last year.

Delaney has been with McLane Middleton since 2013 after serving for four years as the state’s AG. Before that, he worked as Gov. John Lynch’s legal counsel and earlier worked for 10 years in the state Department of Justice, including as deputy attorney general from 2004 to 2006. Before joining the Justice Department, he was an attorney with the former Manchester law firm of Wiggin & Nourie.

Throughout his career, Delaney has focused on government litigation, white collar defense, complex commercial litigation, corporate investigations and compliance as well as education law.

Both of New Hampshire’s U.S. senators called for a quick confirmation of Delaney, who they said in a joint statement “is exceedingly qualified to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit,” adding that “he is well suited for this role and would serve honorably.”

The First Circuit Court of Appeals takes up cases from district courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. — JEFF FEINGOLD