On The Bench: Week of July 20, 2023

The Senate made limited progress on judicial nominations this week. As of this writing, the Senate confirmed just 1 Article III nominee: Rachel Bloomekatz (6th Cir.) in a 50-48 vote. There are still 17 nominees pending on the Senate floor, waiting for cloture and confirmation votes.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a markup on Thursday where it advanced one judicial nominee to the floor: Judge Julia Munley (M.D. Pa.). Judge Munley is now eligible for cloture and confirmation votes.

As of July 20, there are 90 Article III vacancies, 68 of which are current. There are 27 pending nominees: 17 waiting for floor votes, 3 waiting to be reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 7 waiting for hearings before the Committee. To date, 140 Article III judges have been confirmed during the Biden-Harris Administration.

In other judiciary news, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday also voted on the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023. The bill has several provisions, including requiring the Court to adopt a code of conduct for Justices, and strengthening recusal and financial disclosure standards for the Justices. The legislation passed through the Committee in an 11-10 vote. It is now eligible to be considered by the full Senate.