Category: Judicial Nominations

On The Bench: Week of July 11, 2024

Posted on by Maude Carroll

The Senate returned from recess this week and made limited progress on judicial confirmations. As of this writing, the Senate confirmed one Article III nominee this week: Judge Nancy Maldonado (7th Cir.). Judge Maldonado becomes the first Hispanic person to ever serve as a judge on the Seventh Circuit.

Despite limited progress on the Senate floor, the Senate Judiciary Committee continues to process judicial nominations. On Wednesday, the Committee held a hearing for three Article III nominees: Mary Kay Costello (E.D. Pa.), Laura Margarete Provinzino (D. Minn.), and Judge Noël Wise (N.D. Cal.). These nominees are now eligible for a full committee vote.

On Thursday, the Committee held an executive business meeting where it successfully advanced eight Article III nominees to the Senate floor: Judge Michelle Williams Court (C.D. Cal.), Judge Anne Hwang (C.D. Cal.), Stacey Neumann (D. Me.), Judge Cynthia Valenzuela (C.D. Cal.), Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd (11th Cir.), Magistrate Judge Adam Abelson (D. Md.), Magistrate Judge Joseph Saporito Jr. (M.D. Pa.), and Judge Meredith Vacca (W.D.N.Y.). All these nominees are now eligible for cloture and confirmation votes.

Since the last On the Bench, the White House released the newest slate of Article III nominees. The slate had four nominees: Ryan Park (4th Cir.), Byron Conway (E.D. Wis.), Magistrate Judge Jonathan Hawley (C.D. Ill.), and Judge Gail Weilheimer.

As of July 11, there are 72 Article III vacancies, 48 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 33 pending nominees: 17 waiting for floor votes, 8 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 8 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 202 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On The Bench: Week of June 20, 2024

Posted on by Maude Carroll

In part due to the truncated work week, the Senate made limited progress on judicial confirmations this week. As of this writing, the Senate was able to invoke cloture on Judge Nancy Maldonado (7th Cir.) but has not confirmed any Article III judges. Earlier in the week, the Senate was scheduled to vote on Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai (D. Or.), but due to attendance issues the cloture vote was pulled. That vote will now have to occur at a later date.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for 4 Article III nominees: Karla Campbell (6th Cir.), Justice Julia Lipez (1st Cir.), Catherine Henry (E.D. Pa.), and Mary Kay Lanthier (D. Vt.). These nominees are no eligible for a committee vote.

As of June 20, there are 71 Article III vacancies, 45 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 30 pending nominees: 10 waiting for floor votes, 13 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 7 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 201 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On The Bench: Week of June 13, 2024

Posted on by Maude Carroll

The Senate made no progress on judicial confirmations this week. As of this writing, there have been no cloture motions filed on any Article III nominees.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held an executive business meeting where due to attendance issues they were unable to vote on any Article III nominees.

Also this week, the White House announced the newest slate of judicial nominations. The slate consisted of 3 Article III nominees: Mary Kay Costello (E.D. Pa.), Laura Margarete Provinzino (D. Minn.), and Judge Noël Wise.

As of June 13, there are 71 Article III vacancies, 45 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 30 pending nominees: 10 waiting for floor votes, 9 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 11 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 201 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

In other judiciary news, the Senate Judiciary Committee in a bipartisan vote advanced the JUDGES Act of 2024. The legislation seeks to add 66 permanent district court judgeships in several states across the country. The new judgeships would be added over a period of 12 years.

On The Bench: Week of June 6, 2024

Posted on by Emil Krawczyk

The Senate made no progress on judicial confirmations this week. The Senate is now scheduled to be out until the evening of June 11. At this time, there have been no cloture motions filed on any Article III nominees.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for 4 Article III nominees: Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd (11th Cir.), Magistrate Judge Adam Abelson (D. Md.), Magistrate Judge Joseph Saporito Jr. (M.D. Pa.), and Judge Meredith Vacca (W.D.N.Y.). The nominees are now eligible for a full committee vote. If confirmed, Judge Vacca would be the first ever person of color to serve as a federal judge on the Western District of New York.

As of June 6, there are 69 Article III vacancies, 45 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 27 pending nominees: 10 waiting for floor votes, 9 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 8 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 201 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On The Bench: Week of May 30, 2024

Posted on by Emil Krawczyk

The Senate made no progress on judicial nominations this week as they were on recess for the Memorial Day holiday. Before the break Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on a few judicial nominees for local Washington D.C. courts, but he did not file cloture on any Article III nominees.

Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday. Nominees for the hearing are not yet listed, but it is likely that the hearing will feature some of the recently announced judicial nominees.

As of May 30, there are 68 Article III vacancies, 43 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 27 pending nominees: 10 waiting for floor votes, 5 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 12 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 201 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On The Bench: Week of May 23, 2024

Posted on by Emil Krawczyk

The Senate made encouraging progress on judicial nominations this week with 4 Article III confirmations. The 4 confirmations were: Seth Aframe (1st Cir.), Kriss Lanham (D. Ariz.), Magistrate Judge Angela Martinez (D. Ariz.), and Judge Dena Coggins (E.D. Cal.). With these confirmations the Senate confirmed the 200th Article III nominee during the Biden Administration. This puts the Biden Administration ahead of its predecessor which did not reach that milestone until June 24, 2020. For more on this achievement, see ACS’s statement here.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for 5 Article III nominees: Judge Michelle Williams Court (C.D. Cal.), Judge Anne Hwang (C.D. Cal.), Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn (S.D.N.Y.), Stacey Neumann (D. Me.), and Judge Cynthia Valenzuela (C.D. Cal.). All five nominees are now eligible for a committee vote.

On Thursday, the White House announced the next slate of 4 Article III nominees: Karla Campbell (6th Cir.), Justice Julia Lipez (1st Cir.), Catherine Henry (E.D. Pa.), and Mary Kay Lanthier (D. Vt.). This slate continues the White House’s trend of trying to bring more professional diversity to the federal judiciary.

As of May 23, there are 67 Article III vacancies, 42 of which are current. Once the latest nominees are officially nominated, there will be 27 pending nominees: 10 waiting for floor votes, 5 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 12 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 201 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.