On The Bench: Week of August 1, 2024

The Senate made encouraging progress on judicial nominations this week. As of this writing, the Senate has confirmed three Article III nominees: Stacey Neumann (D. Me.), Magistrate Judge Joseph Saporito Jr. (M.D. Pa.), and Judge Meredith Vacca (W.D.N.Y.). Judge Vacca becomes the first woman of color to ever serve as a judge on the Western District of New York. Also with these confirmations, the Biden-Harris Administration stays ahead of their predecessor in terms of pace of judicial confirmations at least through August of the fourth year.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for five Article III nominees: Ryan Park (4th Cir.), April Perry (N.D. Ill.), Byron Conway (E.D. Wis.), Magistrate Judge Jonathan Hawley (C.D. Ill.), and Judge Gail Weilheimer. These nominees are now eligible for a committee vote.

On Thursday, the Committee also held an executive business meeting where it successfully advanced seven Article III nominees to the floor: Karla Campbell (6th Cir.), Justice Julia Lipez (1st Cir.), Catherine Henry (E.D. Pa.), Mary Kay Lanthier (D. Vt.), Mary Kay Costello (E.D. Pa.), Laura Margarete Provinzino (D. Minn.), and Judge Noël Wise (N.D. Cal.). These nominees now join the backlog of nominees on the Senate floor.

Also this week, the White House announced the latest slate of judicial nominees. The slate contained three Article III nominees: Judge Anthony Brindisi (N.D.N.Y.), Tiffany Johnson (N.D. Ga.), and Keli Neary (M.D. Pa.).

As of August 1, there are 70 Article III vacancies, 46 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 33 pending nominees: 21 waiting for floor votes, 6 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 6 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 205 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.