[2] Merriam was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, where she attended the Hopkins School.

[3][4] Merriam clerked for Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut from 2000 to 2002 and Judge Thomas Meskill of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2002 to 2003.

[3][5] Merriam was political director for a state employee union and helped manage the campaigns of two Democratic U.S.

[10] On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Merriam to serve as a United States district judge for the District of Connecticut to the seat vacated by Judge Janet C. Hall, who assumed senior status on January 21, 2021.

[17] Her service as a district judge was terminated on September 28, 2022, when she was elevated to the court of appeals.

President Biden nominated Merriam to the seat to be vacated by Judge Susan L. Carney, who announced her intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.