On The Bench: Week of December 14, 2023

With the end of session approaching and a lot of competing priorities, the Senate made some progress on judicial nominations this week. As of this writing, the Senate confirmed 3 Article III nominees: Richard Federico (10th Cir.), Jerry Edwards, Jr. (W.D. La.), and Brandon Long (E.D. La.).

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for 5 Article III nominees: Nicole Berner (4th Cir.), Adeel Mangi (3d Cir.), Judge Amy Baggio (D. Or.), Judge Cristal Brisco (N.D. Ind.), and Judge Gretchen Lund (N.D. Ind.). These nominees are now eligible for a full committee vote, which will likely occur in early 2024.

As of December 14, there are 90 Article III vacancies, 59 of which are current. There are 29 pending nominees: 16 waiting for floor votes, 11 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 2 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 164 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

On the Bench will return in 2024.