On The Bench: Week of February 8, 2024

Due to other legislative priorities, the Senate’s progress on judicial confirmations slowed this week. As of this writing, the Senate has confirmed 2 Article III nominees: Joseph Laroski (Ct. Int’l Trade) and Judge Amy Baggio (D. Or.). After these confirmations, there are still 11 Article III nominees pending on the Senate floor, about half of whom were pending at the end of last year. As of Thursday morning, the Senate is still expected to go on a two week recess starting next week.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for 5 Article III nominees: Amir Ali (D.D.C.), Judge Melissa DuBose (D.R.I.), Magistrate Judge Sunil Harjani (N.D. Ill.), Robert White (E.D. Mich.), and Jasmine Yoon (W.D. Va.). These nominees are all now eligible for a committee vote. If confirmed, Yoon and DuBose would be the first people of color to ever serve as a judge on their respective district courts.

Also this week, the White House announced the latest slate of judicial nominations. The slate contained 4 Article III nominees: Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara (E.D.N.Y.), Judge Dena Coggins (E.D. Cal.), Eric Schulte (D.S.D.), and Judge Camela Theeler (D.S.D.).

As of February 8, there are 85 Article III vacancies, 54 of which are current. Once the announced nominees are officially nominated, then there will be 26 pending nominees: 11 waiting for floor votes, 10 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 5 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 177 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.