In the News

06/19/2013 – McConnell Sings Very Different Tune On Nuclear Option Than In 2005
After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned Tuesday that going nuclear on filibuster reform for nominations would lead to the end of the 60-vote threshold for all matters, Democrats quickly pointed out that McConnell had supported a similar proposal during the 2005 filibuster battles. read full story

06/18/2013 – D.C. Circuit Judge Srinivasan Sworn In
Sri Srinivasan was sworn in yesterday afternoon as the newest judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. read full story

06/17/2013 – Senate Dems Schedule Hearing For D.C. Circuit Nominee Patricia Millett
Senate Democrats moved Monday to schedule a confirmation hearing for Patricia Millett, one of President Obama's three nominees to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The hearing will be on July 10, said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), saying Millett "should have broad bipartisan support." read full story

06/18/2013 – Norton Accepting Applications for New Opening on U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that her Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission is accepting applications for an upcoming opening on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. read full story

06/18/2013 – McCain: Obama’s 3 D.C. Circuit Nominees Deserve Votes
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Wednesday that President Obama's three nominees to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals deserve up-or-down votes, contradicting his Republican colleagues who insist the vacancies need not be filled. read full story

06/18/2013 – Senate finds pace on judicial nominees
After getting off to a sluggish start this year, the Senate is now approving judges at a rapid clip. read full story

06/18/2013 – McConnell To Reid: If You Go Nuclear On Nominations, I’ll Go Nuclear On Everything When I’m Majority Leader
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday starkly warned Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) not to eliminate the filibuster on presidential nominations, threatening to end the 60-vote threshold for everything, including bills, if he becomes the majority leader. read full story

– Senate votes to confirm two judicial nominees
The Senate confirmed two judicial nominations on Monday. On a 89-0 vote, Kenneth Gonzales was confirmed to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico. Also Monday, Luis Restrepo was confirmed by voice-vote, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. read full story

06/14/2013 – Elizabeth Warren pushes Obama on judicial nominations
Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a group of liberal lawyers last night that they should press the president to speed up the judicial nomination process, and warned that failing to do so would lead to increasing corporate influence over the courts. read full story

06/13/2013 – Senate Committee Approves Associate Attorney General Nominee
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved acting Associate Attorney General Tony West's bid to take over the role full time, as well as two district court nominees for the Southern District of New York. read full story

06/13/2013 – Judge’s New Job Opens Seat on D.C. Federal Court
Earlier this week, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. announced he was tapping U.S. District Judge John Bates to lead the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Bates is expected to continue serving as an active judge, but his appointment has created a new seat on Washington’s federal trial court for the White House to fill. read full story

06/13/2013 – Senate confirms two judicial nominees
The Senate confirmed two of President Obama’s judicial nominees Thursday. Jeffrey Schmehl was confirmed on a 100-0 vote to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Senate also confirmed Nitza Quinones Alejandro to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She was confirmed by voice vote. read full story

06/12/13 – McConnell accuses Dems of using a ‘manufactured crisis’ to change the rules
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Democrats of creating a “manufactured crisis” by threatening to change the rules because of GOP obstruction to presidential nominees. read full story

06/11/2013 – Obama Nominates Judges In Unconventional Way
President Obama has nominated three judges to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Robert Wilkins, Cornelia Pillard and Patricia Ann Millet were the three nominated to take up the vacancies in the court but whether the Senate will approve these nominees is still in question. read full story

06/11/2013 – Mark Kirk recommends corruption-fighting prosecutor Manish Shah to federal bench
Manish Shah, 40, now could be headed for the federal bench. The Chicago Sun-Times has learned that on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk will announce he has nominated Shah for a U.S. District judgeship. The nomination must still receive confirmation.He may be the first Indian-American to serve in the Northern District of Illinois. read full story

06/10/2013 – Almost 10 Percent of Federal District Judgeships Vacant
As of last week, almost 10 percent of federal court judgeships were vacant, including one created when U.S. District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren of Fayetteville took senior status on Dec. 31. read full story

06/09/2013 – Push for more California judges depends on passage of immigration overhaul
The Senate’s big immigration bill offers long-awaited reinforcements to the overworked federal judges in California’s Central Valley. read full story

06/07/2013 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve as District Court Judges
Today, President Obama nominated Jeffrey Alker Meyer and Timothy L. Brooks to serve as district court judges. read full story

06/07/2013 – Quinnipiac Professor Nominated For Federal Judgeship
A former federal prosecutor turned Quinnipiac University law professor and media pundit was nominated Friday for a federal judgeship by President Obama. If confirmed by the Senate, Jeffrey Meyer will replace Mark Kravitz, who died last year. read full story

06/07/2013 – Obama nominates Quinnipiac law professor to serve as judge on U.S. District Court for Connecticut
Jeffrey A. Meyer, a professor at the Quinnipiac University Law School, was nominated Friday as a judge on the U.S. District Court for Connecticut by President Barack Obama. read full story

06/07/2013 – Ark. Congressman introduces Stop Court Packing Act to eliminate three D.C. Circuit seats
U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., earlier this week introduced what he calls the Stop Court Packing Act, which would reduce the number of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 11 to eight. read full story

06/07/2013 – Jay Moody being reviewed for federal judgeship
An American Bar Association committee has begun soliciting comments on Circuit Judge Jay Moody as a potential nominee to a federal district judgeship. There are no vacancies currently, but Judge Susan Wright plans to take retirement later this summer. read full story

06/07/2013 – Senate Republicans Divided On Moving Obama’s D.C. Circuit Nominees
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been signaling he may pick a fight on filibuster reform this summer, and a major litmus test will be whether Republicans block a handful of President Barack Obama's key nominees in the coming weeks. But for now, Republicans can't even agree on how to proceed. read full story

06/06/2013 – Senate Committees Advance Two Openly-LGBT Nominees
Today, two Senate committees voted to move openly gay and lesbian nominees forward for consideration by the full Senate. read full story

06/05/2013 – Republicans Looking to Shrink the Judiciary
Obama has nominated three people to the DC Circuit court. Arkansas congressman Tom Cotton wants the openings eliminated entirely. read full story

05/05/2013 – Obama nominates Muncie native to Court of Appeals
Joyce Wilkins expected to be in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon, maybe catching a great show or lounging at the pool in the summer heat. Instead, she was standing in the Rose Garden on the White House lawn watching President Barack Obama name her son Robert as a nominee for U.S. circuit judge on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia, often considered the second most powerful court in the nation because of the cases it handles. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama to GOP: My court nominees aren’t ‘slouches’ or ‘hacks’
Obama, by turns earnest, angry and mocking, pressed the Senate to act quickly on his picks for the hugely influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. read full story

06/04/2013 – Meet the Three Judges Who Could Bring the Senate to Its Knees
The nominees are attorney Patricia Ann Millett, Georgetown law professor Cornelia Pillard and U.S. District Court Judge Robert Leon Wilkins. Millett and Pillard have litigated cases before the Supreme Court. Wilkins was confirmed in 2010 without any opposition. read full story

06/04/2013 – McConnell Questions ‘Appropriateness’ Of Confirming New Obama Judicial Nominees
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday signaled he may not let any of President Obama’s nominees to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals come to a vote. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama Announces D.C. Circuit Nominees, Urges Senate Action
President Barack Obama today formally nominated three lawyers to fill slots on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, introducing the candidates in remarks in the Rose Garden and calling on the U.S. Senate to give each nominee a vote. read full story

06/04/2013 – Carney On Judicial Nominees: ‘This Situation Has Gotten Out Of Control’
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said "it's irrefutable" that the Republican party's reaction to President Obama's judicial nominations "has gotten out of control" in a press briefing Tuesday. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama Denies He Is ‘packing’ Top Appeals Court
President Barack Obama on Tuesday named three judges to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and angrily denied Republican allegations that he was attempting to pack the influential court. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama Prods Republicans With Three Picks for D.C. Appeals Court
President Barack Obama nominated three lawyers to serve on the U.S. appeals court in Washington, setting up a potential fight with Republicans who are trying to block him from naming more judges to the influential court. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama’s Nominees to the D.C. Circuit Will be Hard to Obstruct *Although that’s never stopped the Senate before
Today’s nomination of three judges to the D.C. Circuit, complete with a Rose Garden speech, signals a new stage in Obama’s efforts to change the face of the federal judiciary. With Republicans comparing his efforts to FDR’s “court-packing plan,” the stage is set for a major showdown over the future of this court. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama calls on Senate to quickly confirm 3 judicial nominees
President Obama on Tuesday called on the Senate to swiftly confirm three new nominees to the influential and understaffed U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama Names 3 to Top Appeals Court in Challenge to Republicans
President Obama set a confrontation with Senate Republicans in motion on Tuesday morning by naming a slate of judges to a top appeals court and daring his rivals to block their confirmations. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama challenges Senate with judicial picks
A combative President Obama declared open warfare Tuesday on Senate Republicans over judicial nominations, appointing three candidates to the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and blasting GOP lawmakers for delaying and blocking previous nominees. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama challenges Senate with judicial picks
A combative President Obama declared open warfare Tuesday on Senate Republicans over judicial nominations, appointing three candidates to the influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and blasting GOP lawmakers for delaying and blocking previous nominees. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama: ‘Don’t play games’ with judiciary
President Obama resumed the judicial wars on Tuesday, seeking to pressure Senate Republicans into confirming his nominees to an influential appeals court. read full story

06/04/2013 – Obama Names 3 to Top Appeals Court in Challenge to Republicans
President Obama set a confrontation with Senate Republicans in motion on Tuesday morning by naming a slate of judges to a top appeals court and daring his rivals to block their confirmations. read full story

06/04/2013 – Federal Appeals Court Judge Said Blacks, Hispanics ‘Predisposed To Crime,’ Lawsuit Alleges
A federal judge who, until recently, led what is arguably the nation’s most conservative federal appeals court said blacks and Hispanics are more prone to commit crimes, according to a lawsuit filed this week. read full story

06/04/2013 – Complaint Accuses U.S. Judge in Texas of Racial Bias
A group of civil rights organizations and legal ethicists filed a complaint of misconduct against a senior federal judge on Tuesday, alleging that recent remarks of hers showed bias against minority groups and an inappropriate religious belief in the death penalty. read full story

06/03/2013 – Obama to Nominate Three Lawyers to D.C. Circuit
President Barack Obama on Tuesday will simultaneously nominate three lawyers for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, an aggressive move to fill vacancies on a key appellate court that will further flame tension between the White House and Congress over judicial nominations. read full story

06/03/2013 – Sources: Obama to Name 3 D.C. Circuit Nominees Tuesday
CQ Roll Call’s legal affairs reporter, John Gramlich, reports that President Barack Obama’s poised to announce the names of three individuals he’s nominating to serve as judges to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the timing of the event. read full story

06/03/2013 – Obama expected to name three nominees to D.C. Circuit Tuesday
President Obama will nominate two female lawyers and an African-American federal judge to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Tuesday, according to a White House official, in an effort to help reshape the federal judiciary before leaving office. read full story

06/03/2013 – AP source: Obama nominating Millett, Pillard, Wilkins to federal appeals court in Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — AP source: Obama nominating Millett, Pillard, Wilkins to federal appeals court in Washington. read full story

06/03/2013 – Obama Considers Judge to Fill Post on Key Federal Court
Robert L. Wilkins, a federal district court judge in the District of Columbia, is among those being considered by President Obama to fill one of three vacancies on a key federal court, nominations he could announce as early as this week, according to legal experts. read full story

06/02/2013 – Confirmation of Nassau County judge held up by Sen. Marco Rubio
The nomination of Circuit Judge Brian Davis of Nassau County to a seat on the federal bench is being held up by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican who had supported him and even introduced him at his confirmation hearing. read full story

05/30/2013 – Senators Call For Shrinking Small, Overworked D.C. Circuit
The appellate court facing the most complex workload in the country is also tiny and overworked. Only the First Circuit has fewer active slots, and with three vacancies, the D.C. Circuit has fewer judges than its sibling courts with 11 active judges. read full story

05/30/2013 – Vote for nuclear option in Senate would be extremely close
If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggers the nuclear option to break the logjam of President Obama’s nominees, it would be a very close vote. read full story

05/29/13 – Obama nominees could tip regs court
President Obama’s forthcoming push to seat three judges on one of the nation’s most influential benches holds major implications for high-profile fights over ObamaCare, financial reform and other policy priorities. read full story

05/29/13 – Obama pivots focus to judicial nominees
President Obama is seeking to retake the political offensive by launching a new battle that seeks to highlight Republican “obstructionism.” read full story

05/29/13 – Senators Tussle Over Proposal To ‘Unpack’ Key D.C. Court
Grassley says the D.C. Circuit doesn't have enough work to do, so he wants to cut one seat altogether and send two others to busier appeals courts in New York and Georgia. ... But Russell Wheeler, who studies judicial vacancies at the Brookings Institution, says something else is going on — something political. read full story

05/28/13 – No More Mr. Nice Guy: Obama Squeezes Senate Republicans On The Filibuster
The White House’s aim appears to be to pick relatively non-controversial nominees so Republicans would look bad if they tried to block the confirmations. read full story

05/28/13 – GOP: Nomination strategy aims to show GOP senators as obstructionists
Democrats counter that Senate Republicans routinely require a super-majority of 60 votes to approve even the most non-controversial legislation or nominations. read full story

05/28/13 – Obama, Senate Democrats Teeing Up Judicial Wars
The debate over whether Senate Democrats should deploy the “nuclear” option and shut down filibusters to get their way on nominations is on track to take another step this week. read full story

05/28/13 – A strategy on judicial nominees takes shape
If Senate Republicans act irresponsibly and block these nominees out of partisan spite, Democrats will have even more incentive to pursue the "nuclear option" and end this style of obstructionism altogether. read full story

05/28/13 – Obama poised to nominate 3 to DC circuit appeals court as Republicans say seats not needed
A partisan showdown is looming over what is known as the nation's second-highest court, with President Barack Obama poised to nominate as many as three choices for the understaffed U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in the face of a Republican proposal to distribute its vacancies to other parts of the country. read full story

05/28/13 – Harry Reid says abuse of filibuster must end
Reid said he has no intention of seeking its elimination entirely. read full story

05/28/13 – For powerful appeals court, Senate will struggle to fill vacancies
The fact that the D.C. Circuit looms so large in the current Senate battles reflects the size and power of the federal regulatory apparatus. read full story

05/28/13 – Republicans prepare to clash with Obama over court ‘packing’
The battle over judges is being renewed as Mr. Obama hopes to improve on his first-term record of confirmations, which ranks fourth on a percentage basis out of the past five presidencies. read full story

05/28/13 – Carney decries confirmation delays
White House press secretary Jay Carney blasted Senate Republicans Tuesday, calling the delay over confirming President Obama’s judicial and Cabinet nominees “unacceptable.” read full story

05/28/13 – White House Eyes Lawyers for D.C. Circuit Vacancies
The White House is evaluating at least four Washington lawyers to fill vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a key appellate court that is the centerpiece of the battle between the Obama administration and leading Republicans over judicial nominations. read full story

05/28/13 – Partisan Showdown Looms Over DC Circuit Nominees
A partisan showdown is looming over what is known as the nation's second-highest court, with President Barack Obama poised to nominate as many as three choices for the understaffed U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in the face of a Republican proposal to distribute its vacancies to other parts of the country. read full story

05/28/13 – Obama to launch push to reshape D.C. Circuit with 3 simultaneous nominations
The decision to push aggressively to fill the three remaining vacancies on one of the nation’s most powerful courts comes after the Senate confirmed Justice Department official Sri Srinivasan to sit on the court last week. read full story

05/28/13 – Republicans Charge Obama With Court-Packing For Trying To Fill Empty Seats
Republican senators are fuming about President Barack Obama's attempt to fill empty seats on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, charging him with "court-packing" and alleging that his push to confirm nominees is all politics. read full story

05/28/13 – Obama To Nominate 3 For D.C. Circuit Court Of Appeals, Setting Up Filibuster Fight
President Barack Obama plans to nominate three judges to a critical federal court in a move that The New York Times says "will effectively be daring Republicans to find specific ground to filibuster all the nominees." read full story

05/27/13 – Obama Plans 3 Nominations for Key Court
President Obama will soon accelerate his efforts to put a lasting imprint on the country’s judiciary by simultaneously nominating three judges to an important federal court, a move that is certain to unleash fierce Republican opposition and could rekindle a broader partisan struggle over Senate rules. read full story

05/24/2013 – Montana judges nominated to federal bench
Two Montana judges have received Presidential nominations to serve as U.S. District Court judges for Montana. Judge Susan Watters would replace U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull in Billings and Montana Supreme Court Justice Brian Morris would replace U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Great Falls. read full story

05/24/2013 – Obama nominates Judge Landya McCafferty to fill vacancy at Concord’s U.S. District Court
President Obama has nominated Judge Landya McCafferty to fill the judicial vacancy at Concord’s U.S. District Court. If confirmed, she would become the first woman to serve in the position. read full story

05/24/13 – By the time new federal judge from Maine was confirmed, he ‘had no practice left’
“The fact that the process takes so long will more narrowly limit the pool of potential judges by excluding more practicing lawyers,” Kayatta said. read full story

05/23/2013 – President Obama Nominates Three to Serve as District Court Judges
Today, President Obama nominated Judge Landya B. McCafferty, Justice Brian Morris, and Judge Susan P. Watters to serve as district court judges. read full story

05/23/2013 – U.S. Senate confirms Srinivasan to D.C. Circuit
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Sri Srinivasan to the eighth seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Srinivasan, who currently serves as the principle deputy solicitor general, fills one of four vacancies on the 11-seat court, and is President Barack Obama’s first D.C. Circuit judge. read full story

05/23/2013 – Senate confirms Obama’s first D.C. Circuit Court nominee
Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan, a rising star in legal circles, won an easy and unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, giving President Obama his first appointee to a conservative-leaning court that decides major regulatory disputes. read full story

05/23/2013 – Obama nominates Watters, Morris for federal bench
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated two Montana judges to federal judgeships in Billings and Great Falls. Following the recommendation of U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat, Obama formally nominated state District Judge Susan Watters of Billings and Montana Supreme Court Justice Brian Morris to the positions. read full story

05/23/2013 – Sri Srinivasan confirmed to judicial seat in unanimous Senate vote
Sri Srinivasan – the principal deputy solicitor general President Obama has nominated to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was confirmed in a 97 to 0 vote Thursday. read full story

05/23/2013 – After 5 years, Senate OK’s key judicial appointment
After five years of trying, President Obama has placed his first nominee on a key appeals court in Washington. read full story

05/23/2013 – Sri Srinivasan to get confirmation vote Thursday afternoon
Sri Srinivasan – the principal deputy solicitor general President Obama has nominated to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, will get a vote on the Senate floor at 2 p.m. under a bipartisan agreement. read full story

05/23/2013 – Senate Confirms Srinivasan To Powerful D.C. Circuit Court
The Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to confirm President Obama’s nominee to the second most powerful court in the country. The 97-0 vote to make Sri Srinivasan a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals gives the White House an important victory. read full story

05/22/2013 – Filibuster Fight Looms In Senate As Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell Spar Over Stalled Nominees
As the Senate inches closer to a potentially explosive filibuster fight this summer, top party leaders sparred Wednesday over just how much Republicans have been jamming President Barack Obama's nominees since he took office. read full story

05/22/2013 – Reid: D.C. court needs Obama nominees for ideological balance
Sen. Harry Reid said Wednesday that he will push to confirm more judges to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., after that court ruled earlier this year that President Obama’s broad use of recess appointment powers was unconstitutional. read full story

05/22/2013 – McConnell: Dems are trying to ‘stack the court’ with D.C. Circuit nominee
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats are trying to exercise a "power grab" by rushing the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court. read full story

05/21/2013 – Truce in Judicial Wars: DC Court to Get Democratic Pick
The Senate is about to put the first new judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in seven years. Majority Leader Harry Reid said this afternoon he intends to call for a vote today on confirming Sri Srinivasan for one of the four vacancies on that bench. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled he wouldn’t stand in the way of such a move, but needed to get final sign-off from his GOP colleagues. read full story

05/21/2013 – Reid Mulls Nuclear-Style Filibuster Reform For Nominations
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is telegraphing his intention to use the nuclear option to reduce or eliminate the filibuster for nominations this summer if Republicans follow through with their threats to block President Obama’s upcoming nominees. read full story

05/21/2013 – Gay judicial nominee confirmed to Oregon federal court
The Senate confirmed a gay Oregon judge to the federal bench on Monday after nearly an eight-month wait from when he was first nominated by President Obama. By voice vote, U.S. senators confirmed the nomination of Michael McShane for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon — making him the sixth openly gay person to serve on the federal bench. read full story

05/20/2013 – Moran endorses former Kansan for key court
Good for Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., for helping break the long political stalemate over the four vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by announcing his support Wednesday for President Obama’s nomination of Sri Srinivasan read full story

05/20/2013 – Sixth Openly-Gay Judge Approved by Senate
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Michael McShane to the Federal District Court in Oregon by voice vote. He is the first openly-gay man to serve as a federal judge in Oregon. read full story

05/20/2013 – Senate confirms new judge for Middle District of Florida
By a vote of 90-0, the U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Sheri Polster Chappell to serve as a new judge for the Middle District of Florida, which includes Orlando. read full story

05/20/2013 – Senate confirms Chappell as judge
The Senate Monday unanimously confirmed Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers to serve as a U.S. district judge in Florida’s Middle District almost a year after President Barack Obama first nominated her. read full story

05/20/2013 – Senate votes to confirm judicial nominees
The Senate confirmed two of President Obama’s judicial nominees on Monday. The Senate voted 90-0 to confirm Sheri Polster Chappell to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida. Also on Monday, the Senate voted in favor of the nomination of Michael McShane to be U.S. District Judge for Oregon. He was confirmed on a voice-vote. read full story

05/18/2013 – Pamela Reeves, federal court nominee, draws praise
Knoxville lawyer Pamela Reeves faces more intensive investigation by federal agencies and a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee since being nominated Thursday by President Barack Obama to be the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the Eastern Tennessee District. read full story

05/18/2013 – Observers predict speedy confirmation for Brown
Carl Tobias, a professor at Virginia's University of Richmond, tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that Brown is "well-qualified, noncontroversial and diverse," like many judicial nominees by President Barack Obama. Tobias predicts a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this summer and the full Senate vote in the fall. read full story

05/18/2013 – Brown nomination expected to get speedy approval
Jackson attorney Debra M. Brown’s nomination to the federal bench may wrap up Mississippi’s high-profile legal appointments by the Obama Administration. read full story

05/17/2013 – A Welcomed Appellate Nomination
Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee are praising President Obama’s decision to nominate Judge Carolyn McHugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Judge McHugh is currently the presiding judge of the Utah Court of Appeals. read full story

05/17/2013 – President Obama Nominates Four Distinguished Women to Serve as Federal Judges
Yesterday, President Obama demonstrated his continued commitment to increasing the diversity of our federal judiciary, so that it better reflects the nation it serves. He nominated four distinguished women to serve on four different courts ... read full story

05/17/2013 – Obama appoints Utah appellate judge to fed post
The White House announced Judge Carolyn B. McHugh on Thursday as President Barack Obama's latest appointment to the federal appeals court in Denver. read full story

05/17/2013 – Brown nominated for U.S. district judgeship in Mississippi
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Jackson attorney Debra M. Brown to be a U.S. District judge for northern Mississippi. read full story

05/17/2013 – Brown would make history if confirmed as judge
If confirmed, Brown would be the first African-American woman to serve as a federal district judge in the state, said a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). read full story

05/17/2013 – Harry Reid eyeing July for the `nuclear option’
Reid is eyeing a change to the rules that would do away with the 60-vote threshold on all judicial and executive branch nominations ... read full story

05/17/2013 – Lawmakers, groups applaud support for Srinivasan, but want other D.C. Circuit vacancies filled
Federal lawmakers, special interest groups and the Obama administration, pleased with the unanimous support of Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by a Senate committee Thursday, are already turning their attention to the federal appeals court’s other vacancies. read full story

05/16/2013 – Obama names Utah state judge to 10th Circuit bench
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Utah Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Carolyn B. McHugh to the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to replace a more senior judge taking on a smaller caseload. read full story

05/16/2013 – Top appeals court nominee sails toward confirmation
He's argued more than two dozen cases before the Supreme Court. Now, Sri Srinivasan could be moving toward a seat on the bench himself. read full story

05/16/2013 – Obama nominees move forward, but two face uncertain future on Senate floor
Four of President Barack Obama's nominees moved forward Thursday with one, MIT physics professor Ernest Moniz, being unanimously confirmed by the Senate to be secretary of energy. read full story

05/16/2013 – Senate panel approves Obama nominee for key court post
A Senate committee gave its approval Thursday to a judicial nominee who could be on track for a Supreme Court nomination. The Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the nomination of Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. read full story

05/16/2013 – Jane Kelly’s experience rare on US appeals court
Jane Kelly will become a federal appeals court judge Friday with an unusual background that supporters say makes her a perfect fit for the job and a potential U.S. Supreme Court candidate someday. read full story

05/16/2013 – Knoxville lawyer Pamela Reeves nominated for federal judgeship
Reeves has been a member since 2002 of the law firm of Reeves, Herbert & Anderson in Knoxville, where she specializes in employment and contract law. read full story

05/16/2013 – Obama nominates Wolford
Rochester attorney Elizabeth A. Wolford’s nomination for a federal judgeship is on its way to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. read full story

05/16/2013 – White House nominates Elizabeth Wolford to federal judgeship
Wolford was recommended to the White House by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., as a replacement for District Court Judge Charles Siragusa. read full story

05/16/2013 – Jackson Attorney Debra Brown Nominated for U.S. District Judge
It’s hard to imagine any opposition–she’s respected and not controversial. read full story

05/16/2013 – President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States District Court
Today, President Barack Obama nominated Debra M. Brown,  Pamela L. Reeves and Elizabeth A. Wolford for District Court judgeships. read full story

05/16/2013 – Utah judge appointed to federal bench
The presiding judge of the Utah Court of Appeals has been appointed to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

05/16/2013 – President Obama Nominates Judge Carolyn B. McHugh to Serve on the United States Court of Appeals
“Judge Carolyn B. McHugh has displayed exceptional dedication to the legal profession through her work and I am honored to nominate her to serve the American people as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals,”President Obama said. read full story

05/16/2013 – Senate panel supports Dorsey judicial nomination; Heller opposes
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to confirm Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey to a federal judgeship over Republican objections, including one expressed after a long silence by Nevada Sen. Dean Heller. read full story

05/16/2013 – Senate committee approves 3 judicial nominees for full Senate vote, including 1 for DC appeals
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved three of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees, including one for an influential appeals court, for a full Senate vote. read full story

05/16/2013 – Dean Heller disapproves of federal judge nominee because of contributions to Harry Reid
Nevada Sen. Dean Heller announced via statement Thursday that he would not be supporting Dorsey’s nomination because he was concerned about the propriety of large financial contributions Dorsey and her law firm — Kent, Jones & Coulthard — made to Sen. Harry Reid campaign and political action committees as he was considering recommending her to Obama for the position. read full story

05/16/2013 – SJC Sends Three Judicial Nominees To Full Senate
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved three judicial nominees, including two circuit court nominees and a total of two nominees who should have been sent to the full Senate last year. read full story

05/16/2013 – Senate Judiciary Approves Sri Srinivasan for D.C. Circuit
The Senate Judiciary Committee gave unanimous approval to Sri Srinivasan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, clearing the way for him to be the first new judge on the panel since 2006. read full story

05/16/2013 – Sri Srinivasan confirmed by Senate Judiciary Committee
A Senate panel on Thursday approved a key nominee for one of the country’s most powerful courts, handing President Obama a victory in his push to fill federal judicial vacancies. read full story

05/15/2013 – Senate confirms Orrick as federal judge
A divided U.S. Senate confirmed on Wednesday the nomination of William Orrick III, a former top immigration lawyer in President Obama's Justice Department, to the federal court in San Francisco. read full story

05/15/2013 – Northern California has a new federal judge
The U.S. Senate voted 56-41 today to confirm William H. Orrick III as a district judge in Northern California’s federal court. read full story

05/14/2013 – Senate set for showdown over W.H. nominees
A fresh showdown is brewing over President Barack Obama’s picks to fill his second-term Cabinet, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leaving the door open to overhauling filibuster rules if Republicans block the nominations. read full story

05/14/2013 – Sen. Mikulski ‘ready to go’ on nuclear option for filibuster reform
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that she would support Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) if he chooses to pursue the nuclear option for filibuster reform. read full story

05/13/2013 – WSJ Bureau Chief vs. WSJ Editorial Board On GOP Obstruction Of Judicial Nominations
The Wall Street Journal debunked the false equivalency of its editorial page that insists the current GOP blockade on President Obama's judicial nominees is unremarkable "turnabout" and merely follows "filibuster precedent" set by Democrats. read full story

05/13/2013 – Georgiana Vines: Reeves seems to be likely pick for federal bench
The talk on the street is that Knoxville lawyer Pam Reeves has been to the White House as part of the process of being considered for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge. read full story

05/13/2013 – Nuclear option for filibuster is back on the table
Senate Democrats frustrated with the GOP’s blocking of a string of President Obama’s nominees are seriously weighing a controversial tactic known as the “nuclear option.” read full story

05/12/2013 – San Mateo judge in line for Silicon Valley federal judgeship
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman is in line to become San Jose's next federal judge, according to Bay Area judges and lawyers familiar with the process. read full story

05/11/2013 – Texas Federal Judiciary; Cornyn Says They’re Trying
In late April, Senators Cornyn and Cruz of Texas established a 35-person committee to review candidates interested in seeking federal appointments in Texas, including appointments to the federal judiciary. Never mind that there are already committees set up for this purpose, making an already tortuous process even more so. read full story

05/11/2013 – Congresswoman defends record in heated radio exchange with staunch critic
Birmingham radio personality Emory Anthony attacked Rep. Terri Sewell's (D-AL) commitment to racial diversity in selecting judges, after President Obama's nomination of Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, who is white, to the vacant seat in the Northern District of Alabama this week. read full story

05/11/2013 – G.O.P. Delays on Nominees Raise Tension
Nominees at all levels of Washington’s bureaucracy — 117 of them in all, including cabinet secretaries, judges and members of obscure oversight boards — are facing delays. Just last week, the Senate confirmed David Medine, the president’s choice to lead the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The time between his nomination and confirmation was 510 days. Every Republican voted no. read full story

05/10/2013 – Judge Ketanji Jackson Sworn In to D.C. Federal Bench
Judges are a common sight at judicial swearing-in ceremonies in Washington's federal courthouse, but yesterday's investiture for U.S. District Judge Ketanji Jackson featured a special guest from several blocks away: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. read full story

05/10/2013 – Sen. John Cornyn Surprised to Learn Judge-Blocking May Be Cause of Judge Shortages
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) complains about the slow judicial nomination process, forgets he's the one blocking that process. Senate Judiciary Chair politely reminds him. read full story

05/10/2013 – Shelley Dick confirmed to U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge will have a new federal judge after Shelly D. Dick finally received full U.S. Senate confirmation Thursday on a voice vote without any opposition. read full story

05/09/2013 – Energy Department Counsel Nominated for Federal Bench
Department of Energy general counsel Gregory Woods has been nominated to be a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the White House announced today. read full story

05/09/2013 – President Barack Obama nominates federal magistrate judge Madeline Hughes Haikala to federal judgeship
The White House this afternoon has announced that Madeline Hughes Haikala, who last fall was named a federal magistrate judge for north Alabama, is being nominated by President Barack Obama to a job as a federal judge. read full story

05/09/2013 – Obama Nominates Gregory Woods For U.S. District Court For Southern District Of New York
President Obama has nominated Gregory Howard Woods III to serve on the bench of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. read full story

05/09/2013 – Obama chooses former Lightfoot Franklin partner for U.S. District Court
The White House Thursday announced President Obama's two nominees for the U.S. District Court, one of whom is Madeline Hughes Haikala, formerly of Birmingham's Lightfoot Franklin & White LLC. read full story

05/09/2013 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the United States District Court
Today, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala and Gregory Howard Woods for District Court judgeships. read full story

05/09/2013 – Senate votes to confirm two judicial nominations
The Senate voted 97-0 to confirm the judicial nomination of Nelson Roman. Roman was confirmed Thursday to serve as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. The Senate also confirmed by voice-vote Shelly Deckert Dick to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana. read full story

05/09/2013 – John Cornyn Complains About Judicial Nomination Process He’s Blocking
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) ranted Thursday that President Barack Obama hasn't put forward judicial nominees for vacancies in Texas, some open and without a nominee for more than 1,000 days. read full story

05/08/2013 – Applications invited for federal judgeship
Virginia’s U.S. senators have asked the Virginia State Bar to evaluate candidates for the U.S. district court seat to be vacated when Judge James R. Spencer of Richmond takes senior status next year. read full story

05/08/2013 – VSB to Evaluate Candidates for Judicial Vacancy
The Virginia State Bar has been asked by Senators Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine to evaluate candidates for a vacancy on the U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Virginia. Candidates are to submit on or before June 7, 2013, a résumé, a brief writing sample and responses to a questionnaire (Word doc) available on the Virginia State Bar website. read full story

05/07/2013 – Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan thanks Lugar, cites ‘courage’ in vote
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan is thanking former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar for voting to put her on the bench. Lugar's votes for Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor were among issues that sparked tea party outrage and cost him his seat last year. Kagan said Monday night that his votes were "brave" and took "courage." read full story

05/07/2013 – Federal judicial nominee unaware law partners contributed to Senate Majority PAC
Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey said she was unaware that partners at her Las Vegas firm had given $150,000 to a political committee for Senate Democrats at the time she was being considered by party leader Sen. Harry Reid for a federal judgeship. read full story

05/06/2013 – Lugar: Votes for Obama Supreme Court nominees carried heavy cost
Former Indiana Sen. Richard G. Lugar told members of the federal judiciary Monday that his support of President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court appointees, opposed by many in his party, may have carried the greatest political cost of any decisions during his 36 years in the Senate. read full story

05/05/2013 – Obama Judicial Vacancies Continue To Rise In Second Term, Face Issues
A little more than two months into term two, little progress appears to have been made on judicial nominations. As of Thursday, court data show that 87 spots remain unfilled, a four-seat increase since December and a 58-percent jump since Obama took office. read full story

05/05/2013 – Reid says money didn’t buy judge nomination
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., defended his choice of Jennifer Dorsey for a Nevada federal judgeship, saying he was not influenced by $150,000 in contributions her law partners made to a political committee for Senate Democrats while she was being considered. read full story

05/03/2013 – New report confirms GOP obstructionism is unprecedented
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has released an important new report that details Barack Obama’s record on nominating judges during his first term. It’s no surprise: Republican obstruction against his selections was unprecedented. read full story

05/02/2013 – District Judge Cebull to serve last day
U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull will serve his last day on the federal bench today. On Friday, Cebull formally retires six weeks after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judicial Council issued an order and memorandum following an investigation into his use of courthouse email. read full story

05/02/2013 – Jeff Merkley Escalates Push For Filibuster Reform
The Senate’s leading supporter of filibuster reform is back at it, declaring in an email to supporters late Wednesday that the modest rules changes enacted this January has “failed” and that real reform is urgently needed. read full story

04/30/2013 – Colin Bruce being nominated as federal judge
President Barack Obama will nominate Colin Bruce, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois, to become a federal district judge, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced Tuesday. read full story

04/30/2013 – Meyer Leads Candidates for U.S. Court
The field of candidates for a much sought-after federal judgeship in Connecticut has narrowed, apparently to one — law professor and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Meyer. read full story

05/01/2013 – Questions continue about contributions by judge nominee’s law partners
While disclosed publicly only last week, $150,000 in campaign contributions that have complicated Las Vegan Jennifer Dorsey’s bid for a federal judgeship have been far from a secret to key senators considering her nomination, officials said Wednesday. read full story

04/30/2013 – Obama nominates 3 for Illinois federal judgeships
President Barack Obama today announced three nominees for federal judgeships in Illinois: Sara Lee Ellis and Andrea R. Wood for the Chicago-based Northern District and Colin Stirling Bruce for the Springfield-based Central District. read full story

04/30/2013 – President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Three to Serve on the United States District Court
Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Colin Stirling Bruce, Sara Lee Ellis and Andrea R. Wood for District Court judgeships. read full story

04/30/2013 – Process To Fill Federal Judgeship In Madison, Long Vacant, Begins Anew
After several false starts, the process of appointing a new federal judge in Madison to replace the 2009 retiree John Shabazz has commenced. read full story

04/30/2013 – Obama tapping Sara Lee Ellis, Andrea Wood for federal bench spots in Chicago
President Barack Obama on Monday tapped Sara Lee Ellis and Andrea Wood for Chicago-based spots on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Colin Stirling Bruce for a slot on the federal court anchored in Springfield. read full story

04/30/2013 – Longtime prosecutor, SEC atty Andrea Wood, Schiff Hardin atty Sara Lee Ellis among Obama fed judge nominees
A longtime prosecutor from the Central District of Illinois, a top lawyer within Schiff Hardin law firm and an attorney from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have all been nominated to the federal bench in Chicago. read full story

04/29/2013 – Federal Nominating Commission Seeks Applicants for Judicial Vacancy in Western District of Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Federal Nominating Commission, charged with making recommendations for vacancies in federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions, is accepting applications for a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. read full story

04/29/2013 – Va.’s first African-American federal judge to semi-retire next year
U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer, the first African-American to serve as a federal judge in Virginia, will step down from active status to become a senior judge next year. read full story

04/28/2013 – S.D. Judge to Advocate For Federal Judiciary
Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took office as the new leader of the 1,000-member Federal Judges Association last week. She will serve a two-year term. read full story

04/29/2013 – Campaign donations raise new questions for federal judge nominee
Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey’s bid to become a Nevada federal judge is coming under fresh scrutiny following a report of campaign contributions that coincided with her nomination. read full story

04/26/2013 – 8th Circuit nominee wins quick approval; did Grassley connection help?
Jane Kelly won confirmation to the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, just 83 days after her nomination. Kelly was approved faster than any other of President Obama’s circuit nominees, The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times reports. The average approval time for uncontroversial circuit nominees is 272 day read full story

04/26/2013 – 9th Cir Judge Margaret McKeown to Head Fed. Judges Ass’n
Judge Margaret McKeown is going to have her work cut out for her. Sequestration measures are wreaking havoc on certain services provided by the judicial branch. read full story

04/26/2013 – Judicial nominee’s law firm gives $150,000 to PAC linked to Harry Reid
As U.S. Sen. Harry Reid was considering Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey for a federal judgeship in May, two senior partners at her law firm made $150,000 in contributions to a political action committee associated with the Nevada senator, records show. read full story

04/25/2013 – FBA Leaders Urge Congress to Act on Court Funding, Judicial Vacancies
The Federal Bar Association urged support for the Federal Judiciary’s imminent request for an emergency supplemental appropriation to mitigate the impact of sequestration. read full story

04/25/2013 – Progressives Urge Filibuster Reform Revival In Senate
Progressive and labor groups on Thursday renewed calls for Senate leaders to reform filibuster rules that have allowed Republicans to repeatedly stonewall presidential nominees and legislation, including gun control. read full story

04/25/2013 – Ongoing Obstruction in Senate Rekindles Calls for Filibuster Reform
Since the filibuster reform deal Republicans have blocked President Obama’s nomination of Caitlin Halligan to a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, threatened to scuttle his nominations to the National Labor Relations Board and undermine the operation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. read full story

04/24/2013 – Federal Judge Means’ Talk Today
Judge Terry Means, after discussing procedures, rules and new cases in his court, announced that he had just decided to take senior status. For the first time in 22 years, we will only have one full time federal judge in our busy Fort Worth Division. read full story

04/24/2013 – Circuit Judge Gets Quick Confirmation
The Senate confirmed Jane Kelly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday, faster than any other circuit court nominee during the Obama administration. How in less than three months did she navigate a process that has come to represent partisan bickering and Senate gridlock? read full story

04/24/2013 – U.S. Senate confirms Jane Kelly to 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly was confirmed Wednesday by the U.S. Senate as an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals judge. read full story

04/24/2013 – Gary Lancaster, Chief U.S. Judge for Western Pa., dead at 63
Chief U.S. District Judge Gary L. Lancaster, who had a reputation among jurists as being a judge who could handle any case, died at his home Wednesday evening. read full story

04/24/2013 – Jane Kelly confirmed for 8th Circuit bench
A lot of hard work paid off today when the Senate confirmed the nomination of Jane Kelly of Iowa to be the next 8th Circuit judge by a vote of 96-0. Kelly will be only the second woman ever to serve on the Court of Appeals. read full story

04/24/2013 – Circuit Judge Gets Quick Confirmation
The Senate confirmed Jane Kelly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday, faster than any other circuit court nominee during the Obama administration. read full story

04/24/2013 – Lawmakers question Las Vegas attorney nominated for federal judge
Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey fielded her first official questions on Wednesday in a bid to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge in Nevada. read full story

04/23/2013 – Supreme Court watchers keeping an eye on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s possible retirement
Supreme CourtJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said repeatedly she isn’t going to retire her seat — this year. But court watchers and legal experts see a caveat in that affirmation and say that may be her way of keeping open the door to a 2015 retirement, while President Obama is still in office. read full story

04/19/2013 – Mauston attorney named to judicial nominating panel
Mauston attorney William T. Curran was one of six named this week to the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission, which is charged with moving federal nominations forward, including vacant federal judgeships in Wisconsin. read full story

04/19/2013 – Senate will vote on 8th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Jane Kelly next week
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly is expected to get a vote by the U.S. Senate next week. read full story

04/19/2013 – Senate votes to confirm two judicial nominations
The Senate voted to confirm two of President Obama's judicial nominees on Thursday. Analisa Torres will serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Her nomination was approved by voice-vote. The Senate also voted 94-0 to confirm Derrick Kahala Watson to be U.S. District Judge for Hawaii. read full story

04/19/2013 – Prosecutor Confirmed to Hawaii Federal Bench
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Derrick Kahala Watson, a federal prosecutor in Honolulu, as a U.S. district judge for the District of Hawaii. read full story

04/19/2013 – Study Finds Shared Blame for Judicial Vacancies
At almost every Senate judicial confirmation vote, both political parties unleash a flurry of statistics about the high number of vacancies on the federal court benches. Democrats use the numbers to paint Republican senators as obstructionists. Republicans use numbers to blame the White House for being slow on nominations. read full story

04/17/2013 – Wisconsin Senators Announce Agreement on Wisconsin Judicial Commission to move Federal Nominations Forward
U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin announced their agreement to establish a Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission to move federal nominations forward, including vacant federal judgeships in Wisconsin. read full story

04/17/2013 – Baldwin, Johnson agree on federal judicial nominating commission
They may not agree on much, but Wisconsin’s polar opposite U.S. senators have come to terms on establishing a Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission to move federal nominations forward – including vacant federal judgeships in the Badger State. read full story

04/17/2013 – Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin reach deal on nominating federal judges
Wisconsin’s two US Senators have reached an agreement that could pave the way to fill key state vacancies on the federal bench after a long partisan stalemate over the confirmation process. read full story

04/17/2013 – Baldwin, Johnson agree on judicial appointments panel
Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson have agreed to establish a six-member commission to recommend candidates for filling federal judicial vacancies in Wisconsin. read full story

04/17/2013 – Grassley: ‘No Organized Effort’ Right Now To Block Srinivasan Confirmation
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told TPM on Wednesday that he isn't aware of any organized Republican effort to thwart the confirmation of Sri Srinivasan, who is President Obama's nominee to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

04/16/2013 – Beverly Reid O’Connell Confirmed to Federal Bench
The U.S. Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell to the L.A. federal bench. The Senate confirmed Judge O'Connell by 92-0 vote. read full story

04/16/2013 – President Obama Nominates Vernon S. Broderick to Serve on the United States District Court
Today, President Obama nominated Vernon S. Broderick to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. read full story

04/16/2013 – Senate Confirms O’Connell to U.S. District Court, 92-0
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell was confirmed yesterday as a U.S. district judge for the Central District of California. The Senate voted 92-0 to seat O’Connell, a judge since 2005, on the court. She will fill a seat that has been vacant since Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank took disability-related senior status last year. read full story

04/16/2013 – Final L.A. Dist. Court Vacancy Filled by O’Connell
Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell finally cleared Congressional gridlock on her second trip through the Senate confirmation process, by a vote of 92-0. That unanimous margin itself illustrates how uncontroversial her appointment was and how ridiculous things are in Washington D.C. read full story

04/15/2013 – System feels strain as a US judgeship sits empty
US District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor thought he was giving decision-makers in Washington plenty of time when he wrote to President Obama on July 23, 2010, informing him he would be stepping down as a full-time judge effective Aug. 15, 2011, more than a year later. Three years later, a replacement has yet to be named. read full story

04/15/2013 – After moment of silence on Boston Marathon bombings, Senate confirms O’Connell
After observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Senate approved the nomination of Beverly Reid O'Connell to be a U.S. District Judge. read full story

04/15/2013 – An end to partisan gamesmanship on judges? Not yet
After Republicans successfully filibustered two of President Obama’s high-profile nominees to federal appeals courts, the president has launched the proverbial no-holds-barred effort to win confirmation of Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. read full story

04/15/2013 – Senate approves another federal judge for LA: Beverly Reid O’Connell
By unanimous vote of 92 to zero, the U.S. Senate has confirmed a new federal judge for Southern California. The bench for the L.A. area is now fully staffed, but that’s not the case elsewhere in the state. read full story

04/15/2013 – Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) forms screnning committee for Illinois judgeship.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today announced the formation of a bipartisan screening committee to assist in selecting Federal District Court Judges for the Southern District of Illinois. read full story

04/15/2013 – Senators Cornyn, Cruz Announce Bipartisan Committee to Fill Texas Judicial Vacancies
U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz (R-TX) today announced the members of the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC), which is composed of leading Texas attorneys who will screen and recommend to the Senators nominees for vacancies on the federal bench and in U.S. Attorney offices in Texas: read full story

04/14/2013 – Deadline looms for Mass. federal judge nominations
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced last month that she’s appointed an advisory committee on judicial nominations in Massachusetts to solicit, interview and comment on applications for the court vacancies in Springfield and Boston. Candidates hoping to land a job as a U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts have until Monday to submit their applications. read full story

04/13/2013 – Lawyer Pam Reeves under scrutiny for federal judgeship
Knoxville lawyer Pam Reeves is being vetted by a committee of the American Bar Association for the U.S. District Court judge position being vacated Aug. 1 when Thomas W. Phillips retires. read full story

04/12/2013 – Democrats, others react to Grassley’s proposed legislation to cut D.C. Circuit
Democrats, advocacy groups and government think tanks reacted sharply to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s proposed Court Efficiency Act, with some saying the GOP senator’s proposed legislation is simply court packing. read full story

04/12/2013 – Grassley Fumes At Democrats’ Nuclear Option Filibuster Threats Over Judicial Nominee
The confirmation debate over President Obama’s nominee to the country’s second highest court, Sri Srinivasan, is escalating tensions over the Senate filibuster and causing Republicans to openly wonder if they should have invoked the “nuclear option” when they had the majority. read full story

04/11/2013 – Republican Effort to Unpack the Court
Liberals are tearing into a Republican plan to reduce the number of judges on the country’s most important appeals court, calling it a political ploy to keep President Obama from making the court less conservative. read full story

04/11/2013 – GOP plots to rig the court
The high-water mark of FDR’s power came when he tried to give himself the power to appoint six new Supreme Court justices, which opponents decried as an underhanded scheme to rig the court with justices who favored his agenda. read full story

04/11/2013 – Obama’s top judicial nominee wins Republicans’ praise
After more than four years, President Obama may be poised to get his first judge confirmed to the nation's second-most-powerful court. read full story

04/11/2013 – Obama nominee to key U.S. appeals court sails through hearing
President Barack Obama's nominee to an influential Washington, D.C., federal appeals court faced no outright opposition from Republican senators during a Senate hearing on Wednesday in a break from ongoing partisan battles over judicial appointments. read full story

– Obama appeals court pick has Republican support
President Obama, who has seen court nominees run into Republican roadblocks, may have found a winning strategy for putting a judge on the powerful U.S. appeals court here: He chose a highly regarded corporate lawyer whose resume suggests he could have been a Republican nominee. read full story

04/11/2013 – Easy Hearing for Obama’s Choice for Court
Sri Srinivasan, President Obama’s nominee to one of the country’s most politically significant appeals courts, breezed his way through an uneventful Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that ended with at least one Republican saying he would support the nomination. read full story

04/10/2013 – Grassley Proposes Eliminating 3 Seats On Powerful Court To Keep Obama From Filling Them
"This legislation is straightforward. It would add a seat to the Second and the Eleventh Circuits. At the same time, it would reduce the number of authorized judgeships for the D.C. Circuit from 11 to 8." read full story

04/10/2013 – The Judicial Fight That Could Reignite Filibuster Reform
The upcoming debate over confirmation of U.S. Principal Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan to the country’s second highest court is seen by Democrats as a pivotal moment in the interconnected debates over gridlock of judicial nominations and Senate filibuster rules. read full story

04/09/2013 – Obama Bench Picks Hit by Long Delays
Delays in the Senate have so far stymied President Barack Obama's ambition to have the significant impact on the federal judiciary that is usual for two-term presidents. read full story

04/09/2013 – Reid not ready to move on changing filibuster rule on nominations
Continuing an uneasy standoff with Republicans on filibusters of President Barack Obama's nominees to the federal courts and to executive branch positions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated Tuesday he isn't quite ready to pull the trigger on changing Senate rules to curb or abolish such filibusters. read full story

04/09/2013 – Senate GOP Has Treated Obama’s Judicial Nominees ‘Very Fairly’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vigorously defended his party's conduct regarding President Barack Obama's judicial nominees on Tuesday, as the administration and its allies step up criticisms that the GOP obstructs confirmations. read full story

04/09/2013 – Reid Downplays ‘Nuclear Option’ Threat on Judges
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he expects a full slate of nominees for the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to reach the chamber in the coming weeks read full story

04/09/2013 – U.S. Senate Confirms Patty Shwartz for Third Circuit Seat
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Patty Shwartz of New Jersey to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, more than 18 months after President Barack Obama first nominated her. read full story

04/09/2013 – Senate votes to confirm Shwartz’s judicial nomination
The Senate voted 64-34 on Tuesday to confirm the nomination of Patty Shwartz to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. Shwartz had been serving as a judge in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. read full story

04/09/2013 – Patty Shwartz Confirmed By Senate For Appeals Court
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed New Jersey judge Patty Shwartz to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, giving her a lifetime appointment to the Philadelphia-based court. read full story

04/09/2019 – Senate confirms Pompton Lakes native Patty Shwartz for lifetime federal judgeship
The Senate voted today to confirm Pompton Lakes native Patty Shwartz, a Rutgers graduate now serving as a federal magistrate judge in Newark, to a lifetime appointment on the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

04/09/2013 – Senate Confirms New Jersey’s Patty Shwartz After Year-Long Delay
The Senate confirmed Judge Patty Shwartz of New Jersey to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in a 64 to 34 vote today, over one year after her nomination was sent to the Senate floor for a vote. read full story

04/09/2013 – Judicial Nominations Update
Harry Reid says that Barack Obama will soon be nominating people for the remaining three vacancies on the DC Circuit court. Recall that there are four openings on that panel; one Obama nominee was defeated by filibuster in March, while a second, Sri Srinivasan, is getting a Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow. read full story

04/09/2013 – Gertner, Kaufman appointed to Advisory panel on Mass. federal court nominations
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has announced the appointment of an Advisory Committee on Massachusetts judicial nominations to solicit, interview, and comment on applications for federal District Court vacancies in Springfield and Boston. read full story

04/09/2013 – Senate approves New Jersey judge Shwartz for seat on 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed New Jersey judge Patty Shwartz to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, giving her a lifetime appointment to the Philadelphia-based court. read full story

04/09/2013 – Obama’s current nominee scorecard: 1 down, 14 (or so) to go
In a sign that President Obama’s judicial nominees may be gaining momentum, the Senate voted 64 to 34 to seat Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz on the 3rd Circuit on Tuesday. read full story

04/09/2013 – Mitch McConnell: Senate GOP Has Treated Obama’s Judicial Nominees ‘Very Fairly’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vigorously defended his party's conduct regarding President Barack Obama's judicial nominees on Tuesday, as the administration and its allies step up criticisms that the GOP obstructs confirmations. read full story

04/09/2013 – Obama’s pick for D.C. Circuit set for Senate hearing
President Obama's nominee for one of the country's most important courts for environmental issues will have his Senate confirmation hearing tomorrow. read full story

04/09/2013 – Obama Pushes His Choice for Position on Appeals Court
With a coordination and an energy that echo a Supreme Court nomination fight, the Obama administration is pushing for the confirmation of a senior Justice Department lawyer to the country’s most prestigious appellate court. read full story

04/08/2013 – Going ‘Nuclear’? Democrats Ratchet Up Talk on Judicial Picks
Senate Democrats appear to be setting the stage for a major battle over President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations, a fight that threatens to reignite raw partisan emotions over filibuster rules and the “nuclear option.” read full story

04/08/2013 – Why An Obscure Lawyer That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of Is The Most Important Story In DC
This week, Obama’s second nominee to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan, will receive a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

04/08/2013 – Will another Obama judicial nominee face GOP roadblocks? Recent history says ‘yes
Obama administration’s appellate court nominee, Sri Srinivasan must survive a Senate obstacle course that has toppled others before him. His ordeal is now about to begin, shining light on a confirmation process that’s bumpy at best. read full story

04/08/2013 – Carney: Obama Also Frustrated By GOP Filibusters
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that President Obama shares Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) frustrations about Republican filibusters of his judicial and other nominees. read full story

04/06/2013 – Harry Reid: ‘Nuclear Option’ On The Table In Judicial Nominations
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Friday that he will consider enacting the so-called "nuclear option," or changing Senate rules by a simple majority vote, if judicial nominations do not start moving through the Senate read full story

04/05/2013 – Federal judicial vacancies taking much longer to fill
You can argue about who’s to blame, but you can’t argue with the bottom line: There are more federal judicial vacancies than ever, and it’s taking longer and longer to fill those vacancies. read full story

04/05/2013 – Reid Hints at Using ‘Nuclear Option’ on Judges
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that unless nominations start moving swiftly through the Senate, another round of dramatic rules changes may be in the offing. read full story

04/05/2013 – Court nominees stalled for six years in D.C.
Highly qualified nominees to the D.C. Circuit most recently, former federal prosecutor Caitlin Halligan -- are regularly rejected. Halligan's nomination languished for two and a half years before a Republican filibuster led the president to withdraw her name in late March. read full story

04/05/2013 – Reid Hints at “Nuclear Option” for Judicial Nominations
In an interview with Nevada Public Radio, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he has not ruled out altering Senate rules to speed up Senate judicial nominations. read full story

04/04/2013 – 28 Former SCOTUS Clerks Write Letter Backing Srinivasan For D.C. Circuit Judge
Twenty-eight former Supreme Court clerks for justices ranging from Antonin Scalia to Ruth Bader Ginsburg sent a letter to Capitol Hill on Thursday vouching for Sri Srinivasan, whom President Obama has nominated to be a judge on the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

04/03/2013 – Obama Pushes Republicans to Drop Hurdles to Judicial Nominations
President Barack Obama is pressing Republicans to stop obstructing federal judicial nominees, protesting the delays in private conversations with senators and in public declarations by administration officials. read full story

04/03/2013 – Good-Bye, Judge Cebull
We finally have news on the investigation of Judge Richard Cebull of Montana: He is retiring. read full story

04/03/2013 – Obama Pushes Republicans to Stop Blocking Judicial Picks
President Barack Obama is pressing Republicans to stop obstructing federal judicial nominees, protesting the delays in private conversations with senators and in public declarations by administration officials. read full story

04/03/2013 – White House urges Republicans not to delay confirmation of Obama’s judicial picks
President Barack Obama showed his disapproval over the intentional delays in confirming federal judicial nominees caused due to private conversations with Senators and official announcements by the administration. read full story

04/03/2013 – Conservative Legal Stars Back ‘Swift Confirmation’ Of Obama’s Nominee For Top Judge
A host of conservative legal luminaries are showering praise on President Obama’s nominee to a coveted seat on the second highest court in the land. read full story

04/02/2013 – Judiciary Committee Hearing Scheduled for DC Circuit Nominee Sri Srinivasan
Srinivasan was previously awarded the John Roberts/Elena Kagan Award for the D.C. Circuit Hopeful Nominated in the Last Few Months of A Presidential Term With No Chance of Confirmation This Late (But A Very Promising Future Next Time). It looks like this may be the next time. read full story

04/02/2013 – Srinivasan Hearing Next Week
On April 10 the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on D.C. Circuit nominee Sri Srinivasan, BLT reports. The award-winning Srinivasan is currently serving as deputy solicitor general and has picked a fair amount of bipartisan support among SG alums. Some GOP Senators have questioned his role in helping deep-six a Supreme Court case the Obama Justice Department did not want to face. read full story

04/02/2013 – Judicial Vacancies Languish On Key Federal Appeals Court
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has a whopping four vacancies, the most in the nation, including one opening that dates all the way back to 2005, when John Roberts moved to the U.S. Supreme Court. read full story

04/02/2013 – Obama seeks to shift conservative tilt of key court
President Obama has pressed senators from both parties in recent weeks to confirm a new federal judge for one of the country’s most powerful courts, using an aggressive strategy to campaign for a judicial nominee whom White House officials consider a potentially crucial figure in boosting the president’s second-term agenda. read full story

04/02/2013 – Statement by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
At this time, U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, District of Montana, has submitted his retirement letter. The Council will have no further statement on this matter until Judge Cebull's retirement is effective. read full story

04/02/2013 – Racist Obama e-mail leads judge to retire
A Montana federal judge who sent a racist e-mail about President Obama from his courthouse, and later said he did it because he was "not a fan of our president," will retire from the bench next month, according to the appeals court that investigated his conduct. read full story

04/01/2013 – D.C. Circuit nominee wins backers
A dozen former top officials of the Justice Department's Officer of Solicitor General banded together Monday to endorse President Barack Obama's latest nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sri Srinivasan. read full story

04/01/2013 – Bipartisan Group Pushes Appeals Judge Confirmation
A dozen lawyers who served Democratic and Republican presidents are pushing for the confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominee, Sri Srinivasan, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Washington. read full story

04/01/2013 – Confirmation Hearing Set for D.C. Circuit Nominee
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit nominee Sri Srinivasan will get a confirmation hearing this month, and he’s receiving more support from some top Washington lawyers. read full story

04/01/2013 – Judiciary Committee Sets Hearing Date for Srinivasan’s Appeals Court Nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week on the nomination of Srikanth “Sri” Srinivasan, the chief deputy to the Solicitor General, to become a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. read full story

03/29/2013 – NAACP renews push to have an African-American federal judge in NC eastern district
Though the 2,646-day vacancy is the longest running of all the federal district court openings across the country, there has been no push from the White House to fill the post. It is unclear why the seat has remained open for so long. But representatives of the state NAACP said they worry that politics and race are playing a part in the stand still. read full story

03/29/2013 – Federal judge McAuliffe moving to ‘senior’ status but keeping full caseload
U.S. District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe will assume senior status on Monday, opening a vacancy at the Concord federal courthouse to be filled by the Obama administration. read full story

03/29/2013 – U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe assuming senior status
On Monday Judge Steven McAuliffe will assume “senior status,” a form of semi-retirement that will open a vacancy at Concord’s U.S. District Court. But for now, it seems, nothing at the court will change. read full story

03/27/2013 – Heller slaps down law abiding judge
Even the dubious machinations by legislators in recent years to stop judicial nominations never reached the screwball action of Nevada’s Sen. Dean Heller, who succeeded in killing the nomination of a Nevada state court judge to a federal district judgeship because she supports the law. read full story

03/26/2013 – Sacramento Jurist Confirmed to Federal Court
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Sacramento Superior Court Judge Troy L. Nunley as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of California. read full story

03/26/2013 – New D.C. Federal Judge Jackson ‘Doesn’t Get Fazed’
If newly confirmed U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is smiling when she steps onto the bench, lawyers shouldn't let their guard down. Past and present colleagues described Jackson as cheerful and easy to work with, but warned that attorneys should expect pointed questions that speak to her understanding of the law and breadth of expertise. read full story

03/25/2013 – Another Court Nominee Down
Caitlin Halligan, facing a Republican filibuster, officially withdrew from consideration for a judgeship on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. This is not surprising or unexpected. Halligan, who was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Chief Justice John Roberts, had seen her nomination languish since 2010. read full story

03/25/2013 – Public defender confirmed as federal judge
A long-time public defender is becoming the second African-American judge of the U.S. District Court for Colorado. The U.S. Senate in Washington on Saturday confirmed the nomination of Raymond Moore, Colorado's U.S. senators, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, announced. read full story

03/25/2013 – Here comes U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley, finally
Better late than never for Troy L. Nunley, who was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate to become a judge o the federal district court centered in Sacramento. read full story

03/25/2013 – Jackson Confirmed as D.C. Federal Court Judge
The Senate has confirmed Ketanji Jackson to become a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, filling the only open spot on the court. read full story

03/25/2013 – Central Valley jurist named to federal court
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the appointment of Troy Nunley to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the federal court that takes in most of the Central Valley. read full story

03/25/2013 – Former Alameda Prosecutor Confirmed as Federal Judge
A former Alameda County prosecutor who grew up in San Francisco has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the post of a federal judgeship in Sacramento. read full story

03/25/2013 – Left Grows Frustrated With D.C. Circuit Vacancies
Advocates on the left expressed frustration Monday that President Barack Obama has not pushed harder to seat judges on the powerful federal appeals court in Washington. read full story

03/25/2013 – Senate given okay to weigh Nevada judge nominee
The U.S. Senate has been given the okay to begin considering Las Vegas attorney Jennifer Dorsey to become a federal judge in Nevada, officials said Monday. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., gave the green light to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, before senators began a two-week Easter recess, his spokeswoman said. read full story

03/22/2013 – Senior Status for Circuit Judge Michael Boudin
Chief Judge Lynch of the First Circuit Court of Appeals announced today that the Honorable Michael Boudin intends to assume senior status on June1, 2013. read full story

03/22/2013 – Obama Withdraws Caitlin Halligan’s Nomination To D.C. Circuit Court
The White House officially withdrew President Barack Obama's nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A statement issued on Friday comes after repeated attempts to confirm the former New York state solicitor general were filibustered by Senate Republicans. read full story

03/22/2013 – Obama Withdraws Judicial Nomination After Second G.O.P. Filibuster
President Obama has withdrawn the nomination of Caitlin J. Halligan, a prominent New York lawyer, to serve on an important federal appeals court in Washington, blaming Republicans for blocking her confirmation twice. read full story

03/22/2013 – White House withdraws judicial nominee born in Xenia
Bowing to Senate Republican opposition, Xenia-born Caitlin Halligan asked the White House to withdraw her nomination to a seat on the prestigious U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Earlier this month, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and 39 other Senate Republicans blocked her nomination with a filibuster. read full story

03/22/2013 – After a Two-Year Fight, White House Withdraws Halligan for D.C. Circuit
The White House withdrew the nomination of Caitlin Halligan for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday, ending a nomination process that lasted more than two years because of constant opposition from Republican senators. read full story

03/22/2013 – Obama gives up on U.S. appeals court pick
President Obama Friday withdrew the nomination of Caitlin Halligan, two weeks after Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block her from becoming a federal appeals court judge. read full story

03/22/2013 – White House withdraws court nominee who was blocked twice by GOP
President Obama on Friday withdrew his nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia after the New York lawyer was twice filibustered by Republicans in the Senate. read full story

03/22/2013 – White House withdraws Halligan nomination
The White House is withdrawing President Obama's judicial nominee Caitlin Halligan from consideration after multiple failed confirmation attempts. read full story

03/22/2013 – Obama Withdraws Appeals Court Pick
President Barack Obama withdrew his nomination of Caitlin Halligan to a federal appeals court Friday, conceding to Republicans in the Senate who twice blocked his pick for the key judicial post. read full story

03/22/2013 – White House withdraws Caitlin Halligan nomination
The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, weeks after Republicans filibustered a vote on her nomination for the second time. read full story

03/22/2013 – Statement by the President on the Withdrawal of the Nomination of Caitlin Halligan
I am deeply disappointed that even after nearly two and a half years, a minority of Senators continued to block a simple up-or-down vote on her nomination. This unjustified filibuster obstructed the majority of Senators from expressing their support. read full story

03/22/2013 – U.S. Senate committee backs Iowan’s bid for judgeship
Jane Kelly, an assistant federal public defender in the U.S. Northern District of Iowa who’s been nominated for a seat on the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, was formally approved today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

03/22/2013 – Jane Kelly one step closer to confirmation as U.S. Appeals Court judge
In a voice vote today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Jane Kelly's nomination for the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

03/22/2013 – Senate Judiciary Committee approves nomination of Jane Kelly as next 8th Circuit appeals judge
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly’s nomination to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Friday. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said her nomination was approved by a bipartisan voice vote, after a delay from Thursday, and now goes on to the full U.S. Senate for consideration. read full story

03/22/2013 – Obama judicial nominee, opposed by GOP, withdraws
President Obama's most prominent judicial nominee withdrew her name from consideration Friday in the face of continuing Republican opposition. read full story

03/22/2013 – Another of Obama’s Blocked Judicial Nominee Gives Up
In a quiet news statement sent out at 3 p.m. on a Friday, the Obama administration officially withdrew the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals' D.C. Circuit, replacing John Roberts. The withdrawal leaves the court with only seven of its eleven members in place — and reemphasizes the problem of slow or blocked judicial nominations. read full story

03/20/2013 – Schumer On Judicial Appointees: We Will Change the Rules to ‘Fill up The DC Circuit’
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats will “fill up the DC circuit one way or another,” even it means changing the rules in the Senate to get nominees confirmed. read full story

03/20/2013 – Names forwarded for US judicial post in Maine
Members of Maine's congressional delegation are forwarding the names of two Maine attorneys and one judge for appointment to a federal judicial post in Maine. read full story

03/20/2013 – Names of judge, 2 lawyers sent to Obama to become federal judge in Portland
The names of three Maine men are being sent to President Barack Obama as possible replacements for U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal, who will take senior status on July 31. read full story

03/20/2013 – Lewiston lawyer among finalists for federal judicial post
Members of Maine's congressional delegation passed along the names of two lawyers — including one from Lewiston — and a state judge to President Barack Obama on Wednesday to fill an expected judicial vacancy on the federal U.S. District Court in Portland. read full story

03/19/2013 – Wyoming U.S. senators support attorney general for U.S. appellate court
Wyoming Attorney General Greg Phillips’ hearing on his nomination for a U.S.Tenth Circuit Court judgeship went very smoothly, a law professor who monitors Senate confirmations said Tuesday. Carl Tobias, Williams professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said a critical element was the strong support for Phillips expressed by Wyoming’s two senators, Mike Enzi and John Barrasso. read full story

03/19/2013 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Today, President Obama nominated Patricia E. Campbell-Smith and Elaine D. Kaplan to serve on the United States Court of Federal Claims. read full story

03/15/2013 – Mark Pryor Recommends Candidates for 2 Judge Slots
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor is recommending a former federal prosecutor and several others as candidates to become federal judges in Arkansas. read full story

03/14/2013 – Obama Presses Filibuster Restraint With Republicans
President Barack Obama made a plea to Republican senators in their private meeting Thursday to ease up on their filibusters of his nominees, but he appears to have gotten a cool reception. read full story

03/14/2013 – Holly Herman: Berks judges’ bench not so deep
If all goes as expected, Berks County Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl will take a seat on the bench in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by May or June. If Schmehl is appointed, the Berks bench will be short two judges for six to seven months. read full story

03/14/2013 – Judge Jeffrey Kinder withdraws name from consideration for US District Court judgeship in Springfield
After a sudden change in leadership in the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, a local Superior Court judge has withdrawn his name from consideration to fill a vacancy in federal court. read full story

03/14/2013 – Obama Presses Filibuster Restraint With Republicans
President Barack Obama made a plea to Republican senators in their private meeting Thursday to ease up on their filibusters of his nominees, but he appears to have gotten a cool reception read full story

03/13/2013 – Obama To Senate Dems: We Need Solution To GOP’s Confirmation Filibusters
In a closed door lunch meeting with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, President Obama expressed his frustration with Republican slow-walking and filibustering of key nominees, and urged them to address the issue, according to a senior Senate Democratic aide. read full story

03/12/2013 – Judicial nominee confirmed after 484 days
Judges who enjoy broad support are forced to wait truly ridiculous lengths before receiving a vote, and judges Republicans don't like are forced to wait before failing at the hands of a GOP filibuster. read full story

03/12/2013 – Heller still vetting but won’t block next Nevada judicial nominee
Now that the Elissa Cadish has withdrawn her candidacy to serve as a federal judge, Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller expect the process of confirming President Barack Obama's nominations to the Nevada bench to go a whole lot more smoothly. read full story

03/11/2013 – After 17 Months, Senate Confirms New Federal Circuit Judge
The Senate unanimously confirmed Washington lawyer Richard Taranto to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Monday, more than 17 months after he was first nominated for the position and more than a year after his confirmation hearing. read full story

03/11/2013 – Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Three Pennsylvania Judicial Nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved three U.S. district court nominees from Pennsylvania, sending their nominations to the Senate floor for a final vote. read full story

03/12/2013 – 2 for federal judgeships announced
State District Judge Susan Watters of Billings and Montana Supreme Court Justice Brian Morris will be recommended to the White House for two federal judgeships in Montana, Sen. Max Baucus announced Monday. read full story

03/11/2013 – Lingering vacancies burden justice system; nominations lag, cases grow
A backlog of judicial vacancies at federal courts is straining the nation’s justice system — delaying trials, increasing workloads for judges and posing a disincentive for talented lawyers from pursuing careers on the bench, legal analysts say. read full story

03/11/2013 – Morris, Watters picked for federal judgeships
A Montana Supreme Court justice and a Billings district judge are being recommended to fill two open federal judgeships, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus' office said Monday. read full story

03/10/2013 – As Obama, Senate collide, courts caught short
Just a few blocks from the US Supreme Court sits what is widely considered to be the nation’s second most important judicial body. But unlike its senior sibling, which has a full slate of judges, including two appointments made by President Obama, the US Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit is fundamentally broken in ways that are rippling across Washington and the country. read full story

03/08/2013 – Sloviter, Former Chief Judge of Third Circuit, Is Set to Step Down
Judge Dolores Sloviter, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, is set to take senior status in June, making her the second judge in as many weeks to announce her departure. read full story

03/08/2013 – Federal judge nominee Elissa Cadish withdraws
Elissa Cadish, a Clark County judge whose promotion to the federal court hit an impasse in a gun rights controversy, has withdrawn from consideration. read full story

03/08/2013 – Blocked Bids to Fill Judgeships Stir New Fight on Filibuster
A fresh feud over federal judgeships has again begun to agitate the Senate, with Republicans so far blocking President Obama from filling any of the four vacancies on the nation’s most prestigious and important appeals court. read full story

03/08/2013 – Berks judge step closer to federal bench
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved Berks County Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to serve as a federal judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. read full story

03/08/2013 – Chappell nomination forwarded to the full Senate for approval
A key congressional panel sent the judicial nomination of Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers to the full Senate on Thursday. read full story

03/08/2013 – The other filibuster: Senate GOP blocks judicial nominee
One filibuster on Wednesday received an avalanche of publicity but eventually failed to halt the proceedings that provoked the filibuster in the first place. Another filibuster on Wednesday received little publicity but successfully gummed up the business of the chamber, dealing a defeat to the majority party. read full story

03/08/2013 – Senate Mostly Blamed For Agency And Court Vacancies, But Obama Isn’t Helping
Some workers dream about having no boss. Thousands of federal workers are living that dream. Many Federal agencies, commissions and courts are operating without permanent leadership. Sometimes the White House has been slow to nominate anyone. Often the Senate has not confirmed President Obama's nominees. read full story

03/08/2013 – Nevada federal judge nominee Cadish withdraws amid gun-rights impasse
A state judge from Las Vegas is abandoning her bid for a federal judgeship after she became embroiled in the national gun control debate over a 2008 comment that she didn’t believe there was a constitutional right to own guns. read full story

03/08/2013 – Heller Bests Reid in Judicial Nomination Fight
Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has apparently won his dispute with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., over the nomination of Elissa Cadish to be a U.S. District Court judge in Nevada. read full story

03/08/2013 – Cadish pulls out of contention to become federal judge
After more than a year of an ongoing standoff over her nomination to the federal bench in Nevada, Elissa Cadish withdrew her candidacy Friday morning. read full story

03/07/2013 – Rubio Taps New General Counsel with Judicial Nominations Experience
Gregg Nunziata will be the next general counsel for Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), bringing with him years of experience with judicial nominations and Senate Republican policy work, the senator's office announced. read full story

03/07/2013 – Senate panel advances two gay judicial nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out by voice vote the nominations of Michael McShane, nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, and Nitza Quinones Alejandro, nominated for a seat U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Both nominees were named by President Obama in the previous Congress and renominated again at the start of this year. read full story

03/07/2013 – Obama slams GOP for blocking vote on judicial nominee
“Today’s vote continues the Republican pattern of obstruction,” Obama said in a statement following the vote. “My judicial nominees wait more than three times as long on the Senate floor to receive a vote than my predecessor’s nominees.” read full story

03/07/2013 – A tale of two filibusters: Blocking Obama’s judicial nominees
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) may have grabbed all the headlines with his nearly 13-hour marathon on the Senate floor, but it wasn’t the only filibuster that took place Wednesday. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate Obstructionists Block D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Nominee
Another highly qualified nominee was the victim of the Senate’s obstructionists’ ongoing assault on the judiciary, which includes burdening the federal bench with high vacancies and larger caseloads. read full story

03/06/2013 – Republicans filibuster D.C. Circuit nominee Caitlin Halligan again
Senate Republicans blocked a nominee Wednesdsay to the second highest federal court in the nation, filibustering her for the second time with claims of judicial activism as Democrats accused the GOP of a politically motivated effort to halt the career of a potential Supreme Court justice. read full story

03/06/2013 – Obama ‘deeply disappointed’ in Senate GOP filibuster of judicial nominee
President Obama slammed Senate Republicans on Wednesday for again filibustering the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the important D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

03/06/2013 – Obama ‘Deeply Disappointed’ By Halligan Filibuster
I am deeply disappointed that despite support from a majority of the United States Senate, a minority of Senators continues to block the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Nearly two and a half years after being nominated, Ms. Halligan continues to wait for a simple up-or-down vote. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate Republicans reject Xenia-born judge nominated by Obama for court seat
Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and 39 other Republicans voted Wednesday to block the nomination of Xenia-born Caitlin Halligan to a seat on the prestigious U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. read full story

03/06/2013 – Durbin Threatens To Revisit Filibuster Reform
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is signaling that Democrats may revisit filibuster reform in the wake of high-profile Republican filibusters including the Chuck Hagel nomination, the plan to avert sequestration and the judicial nomination of Caitlin Halligan. read full story

03/06/2013 – GOP Senators Again Block Halligan Nomination to D.C. Circuit
Republicans once again blocked the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday, calling into question whether she might ever get a confirmation vote. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate Republicans block floor vote for key Obama judicial nominee
A top judicial nominee of President Obama's was denied a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor Wednesday after Republicans expressed concern that she would be an "activist" on the bench. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a confirmation vote on President Obama’s nominee to serve on the nation’s second-highest federal court, reigniting a long-running battle on White House judicial nominees.
"Today's vote continues the Republican pattern of obstruction," Obama said in a statement following the vote. "My judicial nominees wait more than three times as long on the Senate floor to receive a vote than my predecessor's nominees. " read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate GOP blocks another judicial nominee
The broken confirmation process is becoming increasingly ridiculous. Catlin Halligan was clearly qualified, and Republicans spent the last decade insisting that to deny judicial nominees up-or-down votes is to tear at the fabric of American democracy. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate to hold key vote today on D.C. Circuit nominee
Senate Democrats today will see whether they have the votes to overcome a Republican filibuster of a controversial judicial nominee, a key test of whether President Obama will be more successful at filling court vacancies in his second term than in his first. read full story

03/06/2013 – Senate Poised to Block Obama Court Nominee
For the second time in two years, Senate Republicans are poised to block the nomination of a former New York state solicitor general to a federal appeals court. read full story

03/06/2013 – Capitol Hill Showdown Over Obama’s Judicial Nominees Comes to a Head
Blocking judges by running out the clock is a time-honored tradition when a president’s term is winding down. But Obama still has most of four years left, observers welcome what they see as a new assertiveness in getting his judicial nominations before the Senate and fighting for them. read full story

03/05/2013 – White House decries Senate delays on judicial nominees
Press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday lamented delays in the Senate on President Obama's judicial nominees, saying they are waiting far longer than other presidents' nominees. read full story

03/05/2013 – Reid warns GOP not to filibuster Halligan nomination to DC court
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Republicans should not filibuster a vote on the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the District of Columbia circuit court. read full story

03/05/2013 – Reid Urges Senate GOP to Give D.C. Circuit Nominee a Confirmation Vote
Reid spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, using the 1991 confirmation vote of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an example of why Halligan and every judicial nominee should get a confirmation vote without having to overcome a filibuster. read full story

03/05/2013 – Senate vote will reignite battles over judiciary nominees
President Obama’s effort to reshape the federal judiciary will enter a new phase of open warfare with Republican lawmakers Wednesday when the Senate votes on whether to break the filibuster of Caitlin Halligan’s nomination for a seat on the prestigious D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

03/05/2013 – Senate Obstructionists Appear Ready to Doom Another Judicial Nomination
Despite the so-called “rules reform” the ardent Republican obstructionists that occupy the U.S. Senate are at it again – filibustering Caitlin Halligan for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Speaking of the rules reform, it was convenient that it only applied to nominations to U.S. District Courts, allowing obstinate obstructionists to carry on a war on the courts or more specifically President Obama’s selections for the nation’s appeals courts. read full story

03/04/2013 – Senate Democrats Again to Push for Vote on D.C. Circuit Nominee Halligan
Senate Democrats will push for a confirmation vote this week for Caitlin Halligan, the nominee to the shorthanded U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit who has drawn the most opposition from Republicans in the last two years. read full story

04/04/2013 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she’s got at least two years left
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin that she’s likely to stay on the court for at least another two years, health permitting. read full story

03/04/2013 – Elizabeth Wolford named federal bench possibility
Western New York may finally say goodbye to its status as the only one of New York’s four federal judicial districts without a woman on the bench. read full story

03/04/2013 – Senate Confirms Two Federal Judges from New York
The Senate confirmed two district court judges Monday for New York: Pamela Chen for the Eastern District of New York and Katharine Failla for the Southern District of New York. read full story

03/04/2013 – Senate votes to confirm NY district judges
The Senate voted to confirm two U.S. district judges to New York on Monday. Katherine Polk Failla was confirmed on a 91-0 vote to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Moments before Failla’s confirmation vote, Pamela Ki Mai Chen was confirmed by voice-vote to be a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. read full story

03/04/2013 – U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt takes senior status
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt of Houston took senior status on March 2nd, leaving three federal trial benches in the Southern District of Texas for President Barack Obama to fill. read full story

04/03/2013 – Federal judges from Montana, Ohio help state
When two federal judicial vacancies occurred in Connecticut last year, senior judges from Montana, Ohio, Kentucky and South Dakota were brought in to tackle a backlog of civil cases. read full story

03/23/2013 – Outpouring of kind words for newest member of the federal bench in Scranton
Judge Mannion's appointment by President Barack Obama and subsequent U.S. Senate confirmation in December put an end to long-standing judicial vacancies in the Middle District, a federal legal jurisdiction handling criminal and civil affairs and stretching from Williamsburg to Harrisburg. read full story

03/03/2013 – Obama pushing to diversify federal judiciary amid GOP delays
Reelected with strong support from women, ethnic minorities and gays, Obama is moving quickly to change the face of the federal judiciary by the end of his second term, setting the stage for another series of drawn-out confrontations with Republicans in Congress. read full story

03/01/2013 – Vacancies, backlogs plague federal judiciary
Partisan politics are being blamed for the rising number of empty benches, which have continued to grow in this Congress. The White House and Democrats specifically blame Republicans of slowing down the process. read full story

03/01/2013 – Senate committee OKs Shelly Dick nomination to U.S. District Court
Federal district court judge nominee Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, could receive final U.S. Senate confirmation as soon as late March after being successfully voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. read full story

02/28/2013 – Lobbying for more diversity on bench
The N.C. NAACP is pushing U.S. Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr to nominate an African American to serve the eastern part of the state. read full story

02/28/2013 – Coalition calls on US Senate to confirm Iowa attorney Jane Kelly as federal appeals judge
A coalition of progressive groups is calling on U.S. senators to confirm a federal public defender from Cedar Rapids as a member of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

02/28/2013 – Senate finally confirms Bacharach 93-0
After months of game-playing, the U.S. Senate in a 93-0 vote this week finally confirmed Robert Bacharach, a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, as the newest member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. read full story

02/28/2013 – Attorney Shelly Dick wins Judiciary Committee OK for seat on BR federal court
The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved the nomination of attorney Shelly Dick for a seat on the federal District Court in Baton Rouge. The approval came by voice vote. read full story

02/28/2013 – Senate Committee Approves Three District Court Nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Thursday three judicial nominees for district courts in New York, California and Louisiana, as well as the nominee to become chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. read full story

02/28/2013 – Northern District Nominee Advances
He may be a legacy, but that hasn't exactly smoothed confirmation of William Orrick III for the U.S. District Court. More than eight months after his nomination to fill the Northern District seat once held by his father, the San Francisco lawyer is still in limbo. read full story

02/28/2013 – Five Finalists For Open Federal Judgeship
The field of candidates for a much sought-after federal judgeship in Connecticut has narrowed. A committee appointed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Christopher Murphy to screen candidates has chosen five finalists for further consideration by the two senators. One of them will likely be nominated by President Obama for the $174,000-a-year lifetime appointment. read full story

02/28/2013 – Senate panel again OKs Orrick for judge
President Obama's nomination of Justice Department attorney William Orrick III to the federal court in San Francisco won Senate Judiciary Committee approval for the second time on a divided vote Thursday, with Republicans questioning his role in cases on immigration and same-sex marriage. read full story

02/27/2013 – Circuit Nominee Enjoys Extra Friendly Reception at Senate Committee Hearing
Jane Kelly got an extra friendly reception from the Senate Judiciary Committee at her confirmation hearing Wednesday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, soaking up a stream of compliments and fielding questions about why diversity in the courts is important. read full story

02/27/2013 – Judiciary committee hearing goes smoothly for judge nominee Kelly
Sen. Tom Harkin urges “swift approval” of Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly, who was nominated last month as the next 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge, during Wednesday’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. read full story

02/27/2013 – Senate Republicans ready to again fight Halligan’s nomination
U.S. Senate Republicans are calling Caitlin Halligan, a nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, an “activist.” read full story

02/26/2013 – Halligan Vote Could Rekindle Judges Fight
Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he hopes Republicans can again filibuster Halligan’s nomination, a nominee to the second-highest court in the land, who they believe has an activist record. read full story

02/26/2013 – Coburn, Inhofe join in 93-0 vote to confirm Judge Robert Bacharach to 10th Circuit
The Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Robert E. Bacharach to be a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ending a Republican blockade that kept the Oklahoma City magistrate's nomination in limbo for nearly nine months read full story

02/26/2013 – Robert E. Bacharach confirmed as federal appeals court judge
The Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Robert E. Bacharach to be a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ending a Republican blockade that kept the Oklahoma City magistrate's nomination in limbo for nearly nine months. read full story

02/25/2013 – Bacharach confirmed to Tenth Circuit after waiting more than 250 days
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Judge Robert Bacharach to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Monday. Bacharach, who previously served as a U.S. magistrate judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, waited 263 days for a Senate floor vote. read full story

02/25/2013 – Senate Confirms Robert Bacharach to the United States Court of Appeals
This evening the Senate confirmed Robert Bacharach to the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Oklahoma. Judge Bacharach waited 263 days for a Senate floor vote, only to be approved overwhelmingly, by a vote of 93-0. read full story

02/22/2013 – Cape resident takes over as federal judge after long wait
Cape Elizabeth resident William Kayatta has waited more than a year to take over as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. Now, after sitting through months of election-year politics delaying his confirmation, Kayatta can finally take his new position in Boston. read full story

2/20/2013 – Two Female Jackson Attorneys May Be in Running for Open U.S. District Judgeship
Two new names have surfaced as possible candidates for the open U.S. District Court judgeship in North Mississippi, Debra Brown of Wise Carter and La’Verne Edney of Baker Donelson. Both are African-American females who have been practicing since the mid-1990′s. read full story

02/20/2013 – Agreement on Bacharach nomination–5:30pm Monday vote
At 5:00pm on Monday, February 25, the Senate will turn to Executive Session to consider the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach, of Oklahoma, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit read full story

02/20/2013 – Senate hearing set for Jane Kelly’s court of appeals nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee set a hearing next week for Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly, who was nominated last month as the next 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge. read full story

02/18/2013 – New names surface for empty U.S. judgeship in North Mississippi
Two new names have bubbled up as possible nominees to fill the U.S. District Court’s Northern Mississippi vacancy created by the death of W. Allen Pepper Jr. Both Jackson attorneys, they are Debra Brown of the Wise Carter Child & Caraway firm and La’Verne Edney with Baker Donelson. read full story

02/18/2013 – 10th Circuit Court up to three open seats
Nearly two years after Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran derailed President Obama’s nomination of former Kansas Attorney General Steve Six to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the court now has three of the 18 vacancies on federal appeals courts nationwide. read full story

02/18/2013 – Senate logjam on judicial confirmations creates judge shortage in Nevada
This past week, the U.S. Senate confirmed its first federal district court judge of the 113th Congress. One judge down. Just 69 more vacancies — including three in Nevada — to go. When there are just four full-time District Court judges on hand to do the amount of work that was intended to be handled by seven, the system is more susceptible to backlogs. read full story

02/16/2013 – Senate panel OKs Moore for federal judge
A U.S. Senate committee voted Thursday without dissent for federal public defender Raymond Moore to become the next judge of the U.S. District Court for Colorado. read full story

02/15/2013 – Vote on judge likely in two weeks
Federal district court judge nominee Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, will have to wait another two weeks for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on her nomination. read full story

02/15/2013 – Obama Attempting to Change Face of the Judiciary
President Barack Obama is trying to change the face of a federal judiciary that has a long tradition of white men passing judgment on parties from all walks of life - if he can get his nominees past the Senate. read full story

02/14/2013 – Hagel and understanding the 60-vote Senate
If there’s one thing that the Chuck Hagel nomination has made clear, it’s that a whole lot of reporters — and even some senators — still don’t know how to talk about the 60-vote Senate. read full story

02/14/2013 – Obama pick for D.C. federal court backed by Senate panel
The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to Washington's U.S. District Court. read full story

02/14/2013 – Schmehl appears before Senate Judiciary Committee
Berks County Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in a Senate confirmation hearing for his nomination to the federal bench. read full story

02/14/2013 – N.M. senators praise nominee for federal bench
Kenneth Gonzales, President Obama’s nominee to become New Mexico’s federal district judge, received glowing praise from New Mexico’s Democratic U.S. senators at his confirmation Wednesday, while a Republican questioned his experience in civil litigation cases. read full story

02/14/2013 – Senate sends Kayatta to 1st Circuit
In a sign that the logjam of federal judicial nominees is clearing, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Maine trial attorney William J. Kayatta of Pierce Atwood to fill a long-standing vacancy on the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

02/14/2013 – Senate committee approves Watson appointment to U.S. District Court
The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the nomination of Derrick Kahala Watson as a U.S. District Court judge in Hawaii. read full story

02/14/2013 – Senate committee approves nominee Raymond Moore for U.S. District Court opening in Denver
The U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved federal Public Defender Raymond Moore to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court in Denver. read full story

02/14/2013 – Las Vegas attorney advances toward federal judgeship
Las Vegas attorney Andrew Patrick Gordon advanced toward a federal judgeship in Nevada after winning approval Thursday from the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

02/14/2013 – Judiciary Commiteee delays vote on Shelly Dick, but her nomination still on track
Baton Rouge attorney Shelly Dick will have to wait a little longer for her confirmation vote to the federal court. The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday pushed back a scheduled vote on her nomination for two weeks. read full story

02/14/2013 – Controversial D.C. Circuit Prospect Among Nominees Clearing Committee
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved two more circuit court judges and a slate of district court judges on Thursday, including Caitlin Halligan, a long-controversial nominee for the U.S. Circuit Court for the D.C. Circuit. read full story

02/14/2013 – 2nd bid to name S.F. native as judge
Troy Nunley, a native of Hunters Point in San Francisco, won Senate Judiciary Committee approval for the second time Thursday for his nomination to the federal court in Sacramento. read full story

02/14/2013 – Senate committee approves another federal judge for Los Angeles
California is one step closer to getting a new federal judge. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of L.A. County Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell to the federal bench. read full story

02/14/2013 – California judicial nominees move a step closer to federal bench
Troy L. Nunley is back to waiting for the full U.S. Senate to finally vote on his nomination as a badly needed reinforcement for the federal district centered in Sacramento. The Senate Judiciary Committee also acted today on Beverly Reid O'Connell, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge nominated for a seat in the Central District. read full story

02/14/2013 – Reid says he and Heller trying to solve judicial impasse
Sen. Harry Reid said Wednesday he and Sen. Dean Heller are trying to work out an impasse that for the past year has sidelined a candidate to fill a federal judge vacancy in Nevada. read full story

02/13/2013 – Judge nominee to get vote
Federal district judge nominee Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, could receive a congressional committee vote Thursday to send her name to the U.S. Senate floor for confirmation, although legal experts contend that vote is more likely to occur at the end of February read full story

02/13/2013 – After 20 Years on Bench, Illston Taking Senior Status
The Northern District of California, already down three judges, is about to have another vacancy. read full story

02/13/2013 – Maine lawyer William Kayatta Jr. confirmed as federal judge
By an 88-12 vote, Cape Elizabeth lawyer William Kayatta Jr. on Wednesday became the first judicial nominee of President Barack Obama’s second term — and the first in seven months — to win U.S. Senate confirmation. It has been a long time coming. read full story

02/13/2013 – Senate votes to approve judicial nomination
The Senate confirmed the judicial nomination of William Kayatta in a 88-12 vote Wednesday. William J. Kayatta, Jr., of Maine, was confirmed to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. read full story

02/13/2013 – Senate confirms Portland lawyer for federal judgeship
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to confirm the nomination of a Cape Elizabeth attorney for the federal bench, more than one year after he was nominated by President Barack Obama. read full story

02/13/2013 – New Judge for the First Circuit
The Senate confirmed William Kayatta Jr. of Maine to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Wednesday, making him the first new circuit judge to take the bench since June and the first federal judge confirmed during this session of Congress. read full story

02/13/2013 – Maine lawyer William Kayatta Jr. confirmed as federal judge
By an 88-12 vote, Cape Elizabeth lawyer William Kayatta Jr. on Wednesday became the first judicial nominee of President Barack Obama’s second term — and the first in seven months — to win U.S. Senate confirmation. It has been a long time coming. read full story

02/13/2013 – U.S. Senate confirms appointment of Cape Elizabeth lawyer to federal bench
The appointment of lawyer and Cape Elizabeth resident William Kayatta Jr. to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in Boston won overwhelming U.S. Senate approval Wednesday afternoon. read full story

02/13/2013 – Legal group calls for U.S. Senate to fill vacancies on D.C. Circuit
A liberal legal organization is calling on the U.S. Senate to make filling the growing vacancies on a federal appeals court a priority. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lost another judge Tuesday, making four vacancies on the 11-judge panel. read full story

02/13/2013 – Berks judge introduced to US Senate Judiciary Committee
A judge from Berks County was introduced Wednesday to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington. read full story

02/13/2013 – The D.C. Circuit Court’s Fourth Vacancy
America's second most important court is now missing over a third of its judges. When Judge David Sentelle took senior status yesterday, the D.C. Circuit Court was left with its fourth vacancy. read full story

02/12/2013 – Chief Judge Sentelle of D.C. Circuit Takes Senior Status
Judge David Sentelle’s last day as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was Monday, leaving a fourth vacancy on the 11-judge panel for President Barack Obama to try to fill during his second term. read full story

02/11/2013 – Obama nominates one insider, one outsider for top patent court
President Barack Obama has nominated two longtime government attorneys to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), the nation's top patent court read full story

02/11/2013 – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz hires his own lawyer
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced key personnel in his Washington, D.C., and Texas offices. The picks include his new chief counsel, Scott Keller, who was most recently an associate with Austin’s Yetter Coleman. An appellate lawyer, he has argued before the Texas Supreme Court and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and he clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Neither Keller nor Cruz responded to calls for comment. read full story

02/11/2013 – D.C. Cir. Chief Judge David B. Sentelle Stepping Down
Chief Judge David B. Sentelle will complete his term as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on February 11, 2013. Judge Sentelle, who has been a member of the D.C. Circuit since 1987 and Chief Judge since 2008, will be succeeded as Chief Judge by Judge Merrick B. Garland. Judge Sentelle will continue to serve as a senior circuit judge. read full story

02/11/2013 – Obama Nominates Raymond Chen, Todd Hughes to Federal Circuit
There are two new nominees for the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, President Obama announced his latest picks for the IP-focused court: Raymond T. Chen and Todd M. Hughes. read full story

02/10/2013 – Gay judicial nominees face confirmation hearing Wednesday
Two of the openly gay judicial nominees whom President Obama nominated to the federal bench are set to face their confirmation hearing before the Senate on Wednesday. read full story

02/09/2013 – Obama Judge Nominations: Raymond Chen and Todd Hughes’ Federal Circuit Nominations Are Historic
This week, President Barack Obama nominated two government attorneys, Raymond Chen and Todd Hughes, to Federal Circuit judgeships. While both men are historic and well-qualified nominees, congressional observers believe that during this session in particular Senate Republicans will delay the administration's nominations in an attempt to affect policy. read full story

02/08/2013 – Cruz Digs for Judicial Nominees’ Views
Attention judicial nominees: Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will want to know which U.S. Supreme Court justice's judicial philosophy—from the Warren, Burger or Rehnquist courts—is most analogous with yours. read full story

02/08/2013 – Todd Hughes Nomination: Obama Picks Openly Gay Judge For Court Of Appeals
President Barack Obama nominated openly gay Justice Department attorney Todd Hughes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday, a move that drew praise from LGBT groups. Hughes would be the first openly gay judge to sit on the federal appeals court bench if confirmed by the Senate. read full story

02/08/2013 – O’Connell Nomination Held Over by Judiciary Committee
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell was among 15 potential federal judicial appointees whose nominations were held over yesterday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

02/08/2013 – Judge Passes Crucial Hurdle In 10th Circuit Nomination
An Oklahoma judge’s nomination to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals passed through a Senate committee on Thursday and is set for a quick confirmation by the full Senate, media reports say. read full story

02/08/2013 – Committee clears judicial nominee Robert E. Bacharach again for Senate vote
Robert E. Bacharach's nomination for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared a Senate committee on Thursday for the second time in eight months, setting up what could be a quick confirmation vote after months of Republican stalling. read full story

02/08/2013 – No retirement plans for Justice Ginsburg
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is approaching her 80th birthday, but after almost two decades on the court she indicated Friday she has no plans of slowing down. read full story

02/08/2013 – Second gay appeals nominee named
President Obama has once again nominated an openly gay man to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The president nominated Department of Justice attorney Todd Hughes to serve on the appeals court. Hughes has worked as deputy director of the DOJ Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch since 2007. read full story

02/08/2013 – Flake raises hopes for hearing on judicial nominee after 19-month wait
Freshman Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he met with Rosemary Marquez and will review her writing, giving hope to her supporters that the long-delayed judicial nominee will finally get a hearing after 19 months. read full story

02/08/2013 – President Obama nominates DOJ government contracts attorney to Federal Circuit
On February 7, 2013, the White House announced that President Obama nominated Todd M. Hughes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Hughes currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a position he has held since 2007. Mr. Hughes joined the Commercial Litigation Branch in 1994, after clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. read full story

02/07/2013 – Obama Nominee Would Be First Out Gay Federal Appeals Court Judge
One of President Obama's two nominees Thursday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Todd M. Hughes, would become the first out gay appeals court judge in the country, if confirmed by Congress. read full story

02/07/2013 – Obama Makes Two Noteworthy Picks for Federal Circuit Bench
President Barack Obama nominated two more attorneys for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, one from the Department of Justice and one from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the White House announced today. read full story

02/07/2013 – Will Republicans Again Stop Obama From Putting Gay Man on Appeals Court?
The first time that President Obama nominated a gay man for the federal appeals court, the nominee went without a confirmation hearing for so long that he withdrew. read full story

02/07/2013 – Obama judicial nomination draws plaudits from gay rights groups
President Obama on Thursday nominated Justice Department attorney Todd M. Hughes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. If confirmed, Hughes would be the first openly gay federal appeals court judge, a prospect that drew plaudits from gay-rights advocates. read full story

02/07/2013 – Obama nominates openly gay lawyer for patent appeals court
President Barack Obama nominated Thursday an openly gay attorney to serve on the U.S. appeals court for patent cases after a previous gay nominee for that court stalled. read full story

02/07/2013 – Obama names gay attorney to fed’l appeals court
Todd Hughes, who has served since 2007 as deputy director for the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division at the Justice Department, was named for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court. If confirmed, he’ll be the first openly gay person to a seat on a federal appellate court. read full story

02/07/2013 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Today, President Obama nominated Raymond T. Chen and Todd M. Hughes to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. read full story

02/07/2013 – Senate Committee Approves Three Circuit Nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved three circuit court nominees Tuesday, sending them to wait for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor. read full story

02/07/2013 – Senate Judiciary Committee Clears Robert E. Bacharach for 10th Circuit Post
Robert E. Bacharach’s nomination to be a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is back before the full U.S. Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday cleared Bacharach for the second time in eight months. There was no dissent. read full story

02/07/2013 – Kayatta judicial nomination bound for Senate floor vote
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday endorsed the nomination of attorney William Kayatta to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit read full story

02/06/2013 – 11th Circuit chief may delay senior status
The chief judge of the federal appeals court based in Atlanta said Monday that he may not take senior status on Aug. 1 if the president and the Senate have not filled two Georgia-based vacancies on the court. read full story

02/06/2013 – Report Shows Judicial Vacancies Stretching Into the Thousands of Days
Capitol Hill has been getting most of the heat for the large number of judicial vacancies in the federal courts, but one D.C. advocacy group has issued a new report highlighting delays in the filling the bench before the nominees even reach the Senate. read full story

02/06/2013 – Liberals push Obama to restock powerful D.C. Circuit
Next week, President Obama will again be faced with the opportunity to do something he has yet to accomplish during his time in the White House: successfully appoint a judge to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. read full story

02/05/2013 – Panel formed to seek candidate for federal judgeship in Maine
The Democratic and Independent members of Maine’s congressional delegation Tuesday announced the formation of a judicial screening panel to assess candidates for a federal judgeship in Portland read full story

02/05/2013 – Obama nominates Evanston native
President Barack Obama has nominated Wyoming Attorney General and Evanston native Greg Phillips for a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal read full story

02/04/2013 – 6 on short list for possible nomination for 2 federal judgeships in Montana
Six Montana lawyers have been recommended as possible nominees for appointment to the federal bench in Montana and are being interviewed by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus. read full story

02/04/2013 – Eleventh Circuit chief judge may delay senior status
The chief judge of the federal appeals court based in Atlanta said Monday that he may not take senior status on Aug. 1 if the president and the Senate have not filled two Georgia-based vacancies on the court. read full story

02/03/2013 – Obama nominations heavy on ex-prosecutors
President Obama's liberal supporters have been dismayed by some of his judicial appointments, and now they can cite statistics: Obama has nominated former prosecutors more often than either Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush. read full story

02/01/2013 – Judicial nominee Robert E. Bacharach blocked by Republicans again
The Oklahoma City magistrate, who enjoys bipartisan support for nomination to federal appeals court, has to wait another week to clear the same committee that approved him overwhelmingly last year. read full story

02/01/2013 – Obama nominates Cedar Rapids public defender to Appeals Court
President Barack Obama yesterday nominated Jane Kelly to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The federal public defender in the Northern District of Iowa was one of two women Senator Tom Harkin recommended for the judgeship. read full story

02/01/2013 – 11th Circuit chief judge to take senior status in August
President Obama is getting a third vacancy to fill on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. read full story

02/01/2013 – Another judicial vacancy to open up on 11th Circuit
A third vacancy will be opening up this summer on the busy federal appeals court in Atlanta. The upcoming opening gives President Barack Obama yet another opportunity to shape the influential 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which decides cases from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. read full story

02/01/2013 – Colleagues say Jane Kelly will be ideal appeals court judge
Colleagues and friends of Assistant Federal Public Defender Jane Kelly said her demeanor and sense of fairness will make her an ideal judge for the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to replace retired Judge Michael Melloy. read full story

01/31/2013 – Mainer’s nomination to be federal judge delayed again
William Kayatta of Cape Elizabeth, who was nominated more than a year ago, now has to wait another week to learn his fate. read full story

01/31/2013 – President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Wyoming Attorney General Gregory Phillips for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Wyoming Attorney General Gregory Phillips for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. read full story

01/31/2013 – Obama Nominates Iowa’s First Ever Female Circuit Court Judge
The White House announced two new federal appeals court nominees today, Jane Kelly of Iowa to serve on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and Gregory Alan Phillips of Wyoming to serve on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

01/31/2013 – Iowa woman nominated for 8th Circuit
President Barack Obama has nominated an Iowa federal public defender to fill a vacant spot on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

01/31/2013 – Obama’s Iowa nominee has been tested
On Thursday, President Obama nominated an Iowa woman to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals. I described Jane Kelly in a 2004 column as a “real-life hero.” read full story

01/31/2013 – Atlanta federal trial court now has three vacancies
U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. of the Northern District of Georgia began his first day as a senior judge today, creating a third vacancy on the court. Pannell assumed senior status a week after turning 67. read full story

01/31/2013 – Obama Nominates Two for Federal Appellate Judgeships
President Barack Obama has nominated an assistant federal public defender in Iowa and the Wyoming attorney general to become federal circuit court judges, the White House announced today read full story

01/31/2013 – Cedar Rapids attorney Jane Kelly nominated to federal appeals court
Jane Kelly of the U.S. Public Defender’s Office in Cedar Rapids has been nominated by President Obama nominated to the United States Court of Appeals. read full story

01/31/2013 – Senate Committee to Vote on Appeals Court Nominees, Again
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to once again approve three circuit court nominees, all of whom were first nominated more than a year ago and received what were essentially unanimous votes from the committee last year. read full story

01/31/2013 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US Court of Appeals
Today, President Obama nominated Jane Kelly and Gregory Alan Phillips to the United States Court of Appeals. read full story

01/29/2013 – McCalla to take senior status on Memphis federal bench
Chief U.S. Dist. Judge Jon McCalla said Tuesday he is taking senior status later this year, a move that will create a vacancy to be filled by a nominee of President Barack Obama. read full story

01/29/2013 – Cape Elizabeth attorney to go before Judiciary Committee on renomination Thursday
A Cape Elizabeth attorney nominated a year ago to serve on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be back before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. read full story

01/29/2013 – Cape Elizabeth lawyer’s judicial nomination back on track
The second time may be the charm for William Kayatta Jr., the Cape Elizabeth lawyer renominated to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. read full story

01/28/2013 – Portland lawyer reconsidered for federal bench
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will consider the renomination of William Kayatta to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. read full story

01/25/2013 – Colorado federal court nominee gets hearing
It seems Senate Judiciary Committee leadership has set its sights on reducing the backlog of federal court nominees waiting for confirmation. That’s good news for Colorado, and Raymond Moore, the former federal public defender, who has been nominated by President Obama for a judgeship on the Denver federal bench. read full story

01/24/2013 – Obama hopeful Senate filibuster deal will pave way for meaningful action
President Obama praised senators for taking action to reduce obstruction and said he's hopeful it will "pave the way for the Senate to take meaningful action in the days and weeks ahead." read full story

01/24/2013 – Dems Rally Around Reid’s Scaled Back Filibuster Deal
Despite strong criticism from progressive supporters of reform, Senate Democrats rallied around the scaled-back filibuster deal negotiated by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Thursday afternoon, broadly agreeing that the changes to the rules were at least a step in the right direction. read full story

01/24/2013 – One year later: No news on federal court vacancy
Still no answer on when the U.S. District Court seat, vacated one year ago today when Judge W. Allen Pepper Jr. died, will be filled. read full story

01/24/2013 – U.S. district judge nominee appears before Senate panel
Federal attorney Derrick Watson appeared Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering whether to send his nomination as Hawaii's fourth full-time U.S. district judge to the Senate floor for a vote. read full story

01/24/2013 – Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell Reach Filibuster Reform Deal
Reid won concessions on judicial nominations as well. Under the old rules, after a filibuster had been beaten, 30 more hours were required to pass before a nominee could finally be confirmed. That delay threatened to tie the chamber in knots. The new rules will only allow two hours after cloture is invoked. read full story

01/24/2013 – Obama short of judges for his liberal agenda
President Obama already has sketched out a left-leaning legal agenda for his second term on issues such as gun control, climate change and gay rights, but he is falling far short in nominating the judges to help him uphold it. read full story

01/24/2013 – Informal Senate Agreement on Filibuster Reform Could Speed Confirmations
The Senate has informally agreed to change its rules on filibusters, including a new provision that will streamline confirmation votes on federal district court judges. read full story

01/23/2013 – GOP Senators Delay Hearing on D.C. Circuit Nominee
Senate Republicans are holding up the nomination of Sri Srinivasan for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, saying they want to know more about his role in the abrupt settlement of a Fair Housing Act case a year ago. read full story

01/23/2013 – Senate to consider nominee for U.S. District Court in Denver Read more: Senate to consider nominee for U.S. District Court in Denver
Federal Public Defender Raymond Moore will take a step in what could be a painfully slow slog to the U.S. District Court bench when the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee meets Wednesday. read full story

01/23/2013 – Hirono Participates In First Senate Committee Hearing
U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), joined by Senators Grassley (R-IA) and Coons (D-DE), speaks at this morning’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on judicial nominees. Hirono and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced Assistant U.S. Attorney for Hawaii Derrick Kahala Watson who is President Obama’s nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. read full story

01/23/2013 – Senate Democrats Moving Quickly on Judicial Nominees
Five federal judicial nominees got a nomination hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a sign that Democrats will continue to push aggressively to reduce the historically high number of vacancies on the federal bench. read full story

01/19/2013 – Hawaii federal judicial nominee scheduled for hearing
Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick Watson’s nomination as a U.S. district judge is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at the Senate office building in Washington D.C., according to the committee. read full story

01/17/2013 – Dubina to hand Eleventh Circuit chief post to Carnes this summer; still not committing on senior status
Chief Judge Joel Dubina of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will step down as chief on August 1, Dubina told the Daily Report this week. read full story

01/16/2013 – Joyner to Step Down, Making Way for First Female Chief
J. Curtis Joyner, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, plans to step down and take senior status this spring, leaving the top spot to U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker, who will be the first woman to serve that position in the district. read full story

01/15/2013 – Durbin taps seven for federal bench
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin today forwarded the names of seven people — including two judges, a state official and a Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer — to President Barack Obama for consideration for openings on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. read full story

01/14/2013 – Third vacancy on federal bench could give Rep. John Yarmuth more say
Traditionally U.S. senators of the president’s party recommend nominees for federal judgeships, but because both of Kentucky’s senators are Republicans, attorneys have said that role may fall to U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, the only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation. read full story

01/12/2013 – Race, poltics keep judge’s seat empty for 7 years
It's been seven years and counting since the need arose for another U.S. District Court judge in the 44-county Eastern District of North Carolina. read full story

01/11/2013 – Obama taps Davis again
President Barack Obama has again nominated Circuit Judge Brian J. Davis to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida read full story

01/10/2013 – The Srinivasan Nomination
A Senate investigation has revealed that a high-profile nominee to the federal bench was involved in the quid pro quo to withdraw a Supreme Court case last year in exchange for dropping two False Claims Act cases against the city of Saint Paul, Minn. read full story

01/09/2013 – U.S. Judge Titus to take senior status in 2014
U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus of Greenbelt will step down from active service next January, the jurist stated in letters to President Barack Obama and Maryland’s two U.S. senators dated Tuesday. read full story

01/09/2013 – 30 apply for 2 federal judgeships
Thirty lawyers have applied to be considered for two federal judgeships in Montana — one in Billings and one in Great Falls, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. read full story

01/09/2013 – NRA Lobbying Targets Obama Judicial Nominees
The National Rifle Association has enjoyed high-profile success over the years in shaping gun-rights legislation in Congress and statehouses, in part by campaigning to defeat lawmakers who defied the group. read full story

01/09/2013 – Influence Game: NRA lobbying targets courthouses
The National Rifle Association has enjoyed high-profile success over the years in shaping gun-rights legislation in Congress and statehouses, in part by campaigning to defeat lawmakers who defied the group. read full story

01/08/2013 – Durbin to begin process to fill Murphy’s vacancy in coming weeks
It’s nearly a year away, but speculation over who will fill U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy’s seat behind the federal bench has already begun. read full story

01/08/2013 – Newspapers Urge Senate to Approve Judges
Editorial boards across the country are urging the Senate to move past partisan politics and confirm federal judges. read full story

01/08/2013 – Local Organization Wants to Keep Federal Judge in Tri-Cities
A federal judge has presided over Washington's Eastern District from the federal courthouse in Richland for decades. However, there is now a newly vacant seat on the federal court due to several retirements. read full story

01/08/2013 – Durbin to begin process to fill Murphy’s vacancy in coming weeks
It’s nearly a year away, but speculation over who will fill U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy’s seat behind the federal bench has already begun. read full story

01/07/2013 – Obama renominates Jill Pryor, 32 others for federal judgeships
President Barack Obama has renominated Atlanta litigator Jill Pryor for a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, along with 32 others whose nominations to federal judgeships had expired when the 112th Congress adjourned. read full story

01/07/2013 – Obama set to alter Utah’s judicial landscape
President Barack Obama has an opportunity that is stronger than ever to significantly shape the makeup of the federal appeals court that serves Utah. read full story

01/05/2013 – Obama struggles to nominate, confirm federal judges
Obama has been slow to nominate judges and Senate Republicans even slower to confirm them. read full story

01/04/2013 – Judge Fisher to Step Aside in April, Opens Circuit Vacancy
Appellate Judge Raymond C. Fisher announced plans Friday to assume senior status April 1, opening a vacancy on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Fisher, 73, has been a member of the court for nearly 14 years. read full story

01/04/2013 – President Barack Obama re-nominates Robert E. Bacharach for U.S. appeals court
Robert E. Bacharach, whose nomination to a federal appeals court was blocked by Senate Republicans for the last six months of 2012, was re-nominated Thursday by President Barack Obama. read full story

01/04/2013 – Landrieu urges prompt approval of Shelly Dick as US Mid Landrieu urges prompt approval of Shelly Dick as US District judge
President Barack Obama renominated Baton Rouge attorney Rachelle “Shelly” Deckert Dick to serve as an Article III judge on the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana. read full story

01/04/2013 – Obama re-nominates Nassau judge Brian Davis for seat on the federal bench
Ten months after the original nomination, President Barack Obama has re-nominated Brian Davis for a seat on the federal bench read full story

01/04/2013 – Oklahoma judge Robert Bacharach renominated for 10th Circuit Court
Robert Bacharach, whose nomination to a federal appeals court was blocked by Senate Republicans for the past six months, was renominated Thursday by President Barack Obama. read full story

01/03/12 – Obama dings Senate on judicial confirmations
President Barack Obama on Thursday renewed dozens of nominations for federal judges in the new Congress and scolded the Senate for not confirming them during the previous one. “Today, I am re-nominating thirty-three highly qualified candidates for the federal bench, including many who could have and should have been confirmed before the Senate adjourned,” he said in a statement. “Several have been awaiting a vote for more than six months, even though they all enjoy bipartisan support. read full story

01/03/12 – New Composition of Senate Judiciary Committee
From what I hear, the membership of the Senate Judiciary Committee won’t be changing much. There will continue to be ten Democrats, led by chairman Pat Leahy, and there will continue to be eight Republicans, with Chuck Grassley the ranking member. On the Democratic side, the only change is that Mazie Hirono, the newly elected senator from Hawaii, will substitute in for the retired Herb Kohl. The other Democratic members remain (in declining order of seniority) Dianne Feinstein, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, Christopher Coons, and Richard Blumenthal. read full story

01/03/12 – President Obama Re-nominates Thirty-Three to Federal Judgeships
Today, President Obama re-nominated thirty-three individuals who he previously nominated for federal judgeships in the 112th Congress. “Today, I am re-nominating thirty-three highly qualified candidates for the federal bench, including many who could have and should have been confirmed before the Senate adjourned,” said President Obama. “Several have been awaiting a vote for more than six months, even though they all enjoy bipartisan support. I continue to be grateful for their willingness to serve and remain confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity. I urge the Senate to consider and confirm these nominees without delay, so all Americans can have equal and timely access to justice.” read full story

01/03/2013 – District courts: Jurist put up again for seat
President Barack Obama has re-nominated Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers to be a U.S. district court judge. read full story

01/03/2013 – Judgeship for Kayatta reactivated
President Obama on Thursday renominated a lawyer from Cape Elizabeth and more than 30 other people whose candidacies for federal judgeships were, in many cases, stalled by election-year politics. read full story

01/03/2013 – Tea Party-Backed Cruz Joins Senate Judiciary Committee
Senate Republicans announced today that newly elected Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a lawyer who was backed by the Tea Party movement, will serve as a member of the committee during this session. read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama re-nominates Nevada judge opposed by Heller over gun answer
President Barack Obama on Thursday re-nominated a Las Vegas judge for the federal bench in Nevada, but the confirmation of Judge Elissa Cadish remains questionable with the state’s two U.S. senators split in their support. read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama renominates Oregon judge Michael McShane for federal bench
Judge Michael McShane of Multnomah County was renominated today by President Obama for a federal district judgeship in Oregon. read full story

01/03/2013 – White House renominates San Francisco lawyer to Bay Area federal judgeship
President Barack Obama on Thursday renominated Justice Department lawyer William Orrick III to a San Francisco federal judgeship, a move widely expected after the Senate earlier this week failed to take a floor vote on his previous nomination. read full story

01/03/2013 – Four Judges Re-nominated for the Federal Bench in Pennsylvania
Four nominees for seats on the federal bench in Pennsylvania are among the 33 people that President Obama has re-nominated for seats across the country during the 113th Congress, which was sworn in today read full story

01/03/2013 – President renominates three Nevadans for federal judgeships
President Barack Obama renominated three people Thursday for federal judgeships in Nevada. read full story

01/03/2013 – President Obama renominates Shelly Dick for federal court in Baton Rouge
President Barack Obama on Thursday renominated Shelly Dick, a lawyer who the president first nominated for the U.S. District Court bench in Baton Rouge last April. read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama nominates 33 judicial picks, urges Senate to act
After a lackluster record of nominating judges in his first term, President Obama greeted the 113th Congress on Thursday by renominating 33 judicial candidates who failed to be confirmed in the last Congress. read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama judicial nominees likely to reignite controversy
In a move likely to reignite the political battle over judges, President Barack Obama on Thursday renominated 33 people to the federal courts, including a New York lawyer twice blocked by Republicans worried she would be an "activist" on the bench. read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama renominates Pryor to federal bench
President Barack Obama on Thursday once again nominated lawyer Jill Pryor to fill a long-standing vacancy on the federal appeals court in Atlanta read full story

01/03/2013 – Obama Renominates His Picks for Federal Judgeships
President Obama today renominated his picks for federal judgeships, some of whom have been languishing without confirmation for more than six months, in the hopes that the 113th Congress will finally get the job done. read full story

01/02/12 – Judicial nominations back to square one
The Senate adjourned Wednesday without acting on President Obama's nominations of Justice Department attorney William Orrick III for the federal court in San Francisco and Troy Nunley, a native of San Francisco's Hunters Point, for the bench in Sacramento. They were among 11 judicial nominees awaiting floor votes when the Senate ended its session after several Democrats issued futile protests of Republican leaders' refusal to consent to the votes. Obama can resubmit the nominations to the newly elected Senate that convenes Thursday. read full story

01/02/2013 – Third Circuit Nominee to Wait For New Congress
Patty Shwartz, who was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in October 2011, won’t receive a confirmation vote in the 112th Congress. read full story

01/02/2013 – Judicial nominations back to square one
The Senate adjourned Wednesday without acting on President Obama's nominations of Justice Department attorney William Orrick III for the federal court in San Francisco and Troy Nunley, a native of San Francisco's Hunters Point, for the bench in Sacramento. read full story

12/31/12 – 2012 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary
Two hundred years after the War of 1812, our country faces new challenges, including the much publicized “fiscal cliff” and the longer term problem of a truly extravagant and burgeoning national debt. No one seriously doubts that the country’s fiscal ledger has gone awry. The public properly looks to its elected officials to craft a solution. We in the Judiciary stand outside the political arena, but we can continue to do our part to address the financial challenges within our sphere. The Judiciary recognized this responsibility eight years ago, when the Judicial Conference, under the leadership of Chief Justice Rehnquist, first put in place an aggressive cost-containment strategy. Four years ago, in my 2008 Year-End Report, I provided a summary of some of the Judiciary’s efforts. It is time to revisit that subject. read full story

12/31/12 – Chief justice stresses need for judges, funds despite fiscal strain
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday called on the White House and Congress to provide sufficient funding and enough judges to ensure that the federal judiciary can do its job well despite the fiscal problems the country faces. "A significant and prolonged shortfall in judicial funding would inevitably result in the delay or denial of justice for the people the courts serve," he wrote. "I therefore encourage the President and Congress to be especially attentive to the needs of the Judicial Branch and provide the resources necessary for its operations." read full story

12/31/12 – Chief Justice Boasts of Budget Cuts, Urges Filling Lower Court Vacancies
In his annual report on the state of the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. today said the third branch of government is doing more than its share to reduce expenditures at a time of fiscal crisis. He also called on both the executive and legislative branches to "act diligently in nominating and confirming highly qualified candidates" to fill long-lingering judicial vacancies in the lower courts. As he boasted about the judiciary's thriftiness, Roberts took note of the fiscal cliff negotiations consuming the nation's capital, and the "longer term problem of a truly extravagant and burgeoning national debt. No one seriously doubts that the country's fiscal ledger has gone awry." read full story

12/31/12 – Court to get by on less
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., saying the federal courts are setting “a good example” on cutting costs, noted on Monday that the Supreme Court itself will be asking Congress for less money in its budget for the year that begins next October 1 — fiscal year 2014. The Court, he said in his annual report on the federal courts, had found ways to save more than $2.2 million on expenses, so it will send to Congress a budget request for $74.9 million — a 3.7% decrease from three years earlier. The Court had had two increases in its budget for fiscal years 2012, which ended last September 30, and 2013, which started October 1. read full story

12/31/12 – Chief Justice Prods Congress to Resolve Budget Talks and Control National Debt
He called on President Obama and Congress “to be especially attentive to the needs of the judicial branch and provide the resources necessary to its operation.” “Because the judiciary has already pursued cost containment so aggressively, it will become increasingly difficult to economize further without reducing the quality of judicial services,” he wrote. “Virtually all of the judiciary’s core functions are constitutionally and statutorily required. Unlike executive branch agencies, the courts do not have discretionary programs they can eliminate or projects they can postpone.” The number of judicial vacancies does not help matters, he went on. “At the close of 2012, 27 of the existing judicial vacancies are designated as presenting judicial emergencies,” he wrote. “I urge the executive and legislative branches to act diligently in nominating and confirming highly qualified candidates to fill those vacancies.” read full story

12/29/12 – Newest U.S. district judge in Tulsa takes oath
Dowdell took an oath that made him the newest district judge with the Tulsa-based Northern District of Oklahoma federal court, officially filling a vacancy on the bench that had existed for about three years. U.S. Chief District Judge Gregory Frizzell said the opportunity to swear in Dowdell was "truly a pleasure and a relief." Dowdell's interest in the job was sparked in October 2008 when he was told that U.S. District Judge Terence Kern was considering shifting to senior status - partially retiring - at some point after the presidential election that would be held the following month, he said Friday. read full story

12/29/12 – Weak Filibuster Reform Offer Rejected By Progressive, Labor Coalition
The debate hinges on what is being called the "talking filibuster." Under current rules, senators need not speak or even be on the floor to block legislation. The stronger proposal, from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would change the rules to require the opposition to talk. Levin and McCain's proposal, meanwhile, would urge the leaders to urge senators to talk -- a gentlemen's agreement that Merkley's camp insists is meaningless. In 2011, Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) struck a gentlemen's agreement aimed at smoothing legislative business. It broke down within weeks. read full story

12/28/12 – New federal judge tours courthouse
Newly appointed U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew Brann was introduced by elected officials Thursday at his new place of employment - the Herman T. Schneebeli Federal Building, 240 W. Third St. Brann, a Canton native who has worked for the past 22 years as private practice attorney, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week as the newest judge to serve at the federal courthouse. He was nominated to the position in May by President Barack Obama upon the bipartisan recommendation of U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey-R, Zionsville, and Bob Casey, D-Scranton. read full story

12/27/12 – As new Congress nears, Jeff Merkley tries again to fix the Senate
In January 2011, at the start of the 112th Congress now a few days from its unlamented ending, Oregon freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley attempted to unclog the rules that kept the body in a state of undemocratic paralysis. He didn't succeed in changing them, but his efforts led to an agreement between Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that was supposed to loosen things up. And two years later, says Merkley, the functioning of the Senate is ... worse. read full story

12/27/12 – Nassau judge Brian Davis won’t get a federal judgeship in 2012
Brian Davis will not become a federal judge in 2012. The circuit judge in Nassau County was appointed by President Barack Obama to a federal judgeship for the Middle District of Florida in February. But the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, placed a hold on his nomination that prevented a confirmation vote. Thursday, the office of Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Davis would not get a vote this year. “We don’t expect the Senate to vote to confirm by the end of the year,” said Nelson spokeswoman Rebecca Autrey. “Sen. Nelson remains frustrated with the backlog because it prevents people from getting their cases heard.” read full story

12/26/12 – Baucus names judicial search committee
A committee of nine Montana lawyers and judges will begin the process of replacing two federal district judges who will be retiring this year. U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Wednesday announced the formation of a panel to find replacements for U.S. district judges Richard Cebull of Billings and Sam Haddon of Great Falls. Both judges have said they will go on senior status, which is similar to semi-retiring. The judges will continue working but with a reduced caseload. Cebull, 68, the chief judge of the district, will go on senior status on March 18. Haddon, 75, goes on senior status Monday. read full story

12/26/12 – A Tougher Road to Confirmation for Federal Trial Judges
As President Obama’s first term ends, there are more vacancies in the federal judiciary than when he took office. Depending on whom you ask, this startling fact is either the result of unprecedented Republican obstructionism or a very leisurely nominations process in the White House. Highest among the reasons for the current vacancies, according to his data, is that federal district judges — trial judges, as opposed to circuit judges, who hear appeals — aren’t being confirmed at the same rate they once were. read full story

12/26/12 – Senate Confirms New Judges—With More Votes Possible This Week
The lame-duck Senate continued to confirm federal judges at its quickest pace of the year, while more judicial nominations stand ready for votes when the Senate returns to Capitol Hill on Thursday. The Senate confirmed five more district court judges in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois last week, for a total of 13 confirmations so far in December. That makes this month the second most active for filling the federal bench during this session of Congress, only behind the 15 confirmations made in October 2011, according to statistics from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. read full story

12/26/12 – Obama could reshape conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is widely viewed as one of the nation's most conservative federal appellate courts, but President Barack Obama could get a chance to change that perception in his second term. Ten of the 15 active judges serving on the New Orleans-based court were nominated by Republican presidents. But six of those GOP-nominated judges are eligible for senior status or will be in the next four years, a change that would allow the Democratic president to nominate their replacements. The court, which reviews cases from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, also has two open seats that already can be filled. read full story

12/24/12 – New generation of judges serving on federal bench in South Florida
Those five vacancies, in one of the busiest federal districts for criminal and civil cases in the country, accounted for about one-third of all the positions on the federal bench in South Florida. The retirements have generated coveted openings that have been filled by Scola, 57; Kathleen M. Williams, 56, a former Miami federal public defender; and Robin S. Rosenbaum, 46, a former Fort Lauderdale federal magistrate judge. Rosenbaum, also a one-time federal prosecutor, was sworn in as a new U.S. district judge Dec. 13. “It’s pretty obvious that Robin is never going to make a decent living,” 11th Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus, for whom Rosenbaum once clerked, quipped about her public-service career during her investiture in Fort Lauderdale federal court. But then Marcus struck a more serious note, describing federal district judges as the “crucible of justice” in the U.S. court system. “I have to say, Robin, this is work you were born to do,” he said. read full story

12/24/12 – Senate OKs Jon Tigar for federal court
The Senate has approved President Obama's nomination of Jon Tigar, a Superior Court judge in Oakland, to the federal court in San Francisco. Senators have not acted, however, on a second Bay Area judicial candidate, Justice Department attorney William Orrick III, and Obama may have to resubmit his nomination next year. Tigar, 50, was confirmed to the U.S. District Court in a unanimous vote late Friday before the Senate left for the Christmas recess. He worked as a private attorney and an assistant public defender in San Francisco before Gov. Gray Davis named him to the Alameda County Superior Court in 2002. read full story

12/23/12 – Obama’s impact on federal judiciary
It takes a calculator and perhaps the rigor of Sherlock Holmes to cut through the partisan rhetoric about President Obama’s first-term record on judicial nominations. But the bottom line is clear enough. There are more vacancies on the federal courts now than when Obama took office nearly four years ago. And he is the first president in generations to fail to put a nominee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the second most influential court in the land and traditionally a training ground for Supreme Court justices. read full story

12/23/12 – U.S. appeals court nominee Robert E. Bacharach may have to be nominated again next year
Robert E. Bacharach, an Oklahoma nominee with strong bipartisan support for a seat on a federal appeals court, may not clear the Senate by the end of the month, meaning he would have to go through the entire confirmation process again next year. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, said “inside politics” may prevent a full Senate vote and that both parties were to blame. read full story

12/22/12 – Senate approves two area nominees to federal bench
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the confirmations of Bradford County attorney Matthew W. Brann and U.S. Magistrate Judge Malachy E. Mannion to become federal district judges in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a spokesman for Sen. Bob Casey said late Friday night. The Senate action on Friday helps fill two long-standing judicial vacancies in the Middle District, which encompasses federal district courts in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg and Williamsport. read full story

12/22/12 – Senate Votes to Confirm Three District Court Judges
Before leaving for a holiday break, the Senate voted to confirm three more judicial nominees. The action brought to 13 the number of district court judges confirmed by the Senate so far in its lame-duck session. Judge Malachy Edward Mannion and attorney Matthew W. Brann were confirmed by unanimous consent to seats in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, according to a Times Leader article. Mannion is a Democrat. Brann is a Republican. They were nominated by President Obama in May. The Senate also confirmed Judge Jon S. Tigar to serve as District Court Judge for the Northern District of California. read full story

12/20/2012 – Senate Confirms Two More Federal Judges
The Senate confirmed two federal judges earlier this week, bringing the total number of district court judicial confirmations to 10 since Congress returned on December 3. read full story

12/19/2012 – Majority Leader Reid Reportedly On Board With Streamlining Confirmations Process
In a report suggesting that Senate Democrats are likely to have the 51 votes necessary to reform the filibuster next month, Ryan Grim reports that Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) has embraced an important reform to prevent obstruction of judicial and other nominees. read full story

12/19/2012 – Leahy Decides to Remain as Judiciary Head
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont will remain chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee rather than asserting his seniority on the Appropriations Committee. read full story

12/19/2012 – Leahy to keep Judiciary Committee chairmanship
The Vermont Democrat declined to take the chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee, sticking instead with the Judiciary Committee, a rare move. read full story

12/19/2012 – Downers Grove Attorney Confirmed as Federal Judge
The U.S. Senate on Monday approved the nomination of Thomas M. Durkin, a Chicago lawyer and former federal judge, to fill a pending vacancy on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. read full story

12/18/2012 – Leahy to remain chair of Judiciary; Feinstein of Intel
Longtime Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, will keep that position and skip an opportunity to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee, which is open now after the death this week of its chairman, Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii passed away. read full story

12/18/2012 – Senate Confirms Magistrate Judge Fernando Olguin to District Judgeship
The U.S. Senate yesterday confirmed U.S. Magistrate Judge Fernando M. Olguin to serve as judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. read full story

12/17/2012 – Business litigation attorney confirmed as federal judge
The U.S. Senate today voted to confirm Chicago lawyer and former federal prosecutor Thomas M. Durkin to a vacant judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. read full story

12/17/2012 – Olguin Confirmed to LA Judgeship
The U.S. Senate confirmed on a voice vote Monday the nomination of Judge Fernando M. Olguin to a post on the federal bench in Los Angeles. read full story

12/17/2012 – Senate approves another federal judge for LA
The U.S. Senate, which has slowly been working its way through a long list of federal judges awaiting confirmation, on Monday approved the nomination of an Azusa magistrate judge to the U.S. District Court. read full story

12/17/2012 – Senate votes to confirm two judicial nominations
The Senate approved Thomas Durkin to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois and Fernando Olguin was approved to be a U.S. District judge for the Central District of California by voice vote. read full story

12/17/2012 – New Utah vacancy on the 10th Circuit appeals court
A new vacancy has opened up on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals traditionally saved for a Utahn after Judge Michael R. Murphy announced Monday he would take on a more limited role. read full story

12/14/2012 – Federal Court Vacancies Proliferate Under Obama
According to the United States Courts, there are currently 78 district and circuit court judgeships vacant. Of those vacancies, 33 are considered "judicial emergencies," meaning the number of cases per panel of judges has surpassed the threshold for what one court can be expected to handle. read full story

12/13/2012 – Federal Bar Association Calls for Votes on Circuit Court Nominees
With Senate Republicans continuing to block Democratic efforts to hold confirmation votes on so many circuit and district court nominees, the Federal Bar Association has written to the two party leaders asking them to act. read full story

12/13/2012 – Senate committee considers LA judge for district court
An L.A. Superior Court judge is absent from the bench today, but she has a good excuse: she’s been nominated for the federal court and had to answer questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

12/13/2012 – La. judge nominee goes before panel
Federal judge nominee Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, sailed through her congressional hearing Wednesday, but she acknowledged she may not receive her official confirmation from the Senate until early next year. read full story

12/13/2012 – New Senator says ‘Aloha’ to Senate Judiciary Committee
Newly elected Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) will become the only new member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the next session of Congress, the Senate Democratic Steering Committee announced Wednesday. read full story

12/13/2012 – Senate confirms two to federal bench in New York
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed longtime Debevoise & Plimpton attorney Lorna Schofield and State Supreme Court Justice Frank Geraci to be U.S. district judges in New York. read full story

12/13/2012 – Geraci confirmed as federal judge
The Senate has confirmed Frank Geraci as the new US District Court judge for the Western District of New York. read full story

12/13/2012 – Geraci’s nomination confirmed by Senate
Monroe County Court Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr.’s nomination for a federal court judgeship was confirmed today by the Senate, nearly five months after it was approved by the Judiciary Committee. read full story

12/13/2012 – Senate confirms two to federal bench in New York
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed longtime Debevoise & Plimpton attorney Lorna Schofield and State Supreme Court Justice Frank Geraci to be U.S. district judges in New York. read full story

12/13/2012 – Senate confirms two judicial nominations
The Senate voted to confirm two New York judges on Thursday. Lorna G. Schofield was confirmed on a 91-0 vote to be the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Frank Paul Geraci, Jr. was confirmed by voice-vote to be the U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York. read full story

12/13/2012 – 2 confirmed as federal judges in N.Y., but 11 nominees still await Senate action
The Senate confirmed Monroe County Judge Frank Geraci to serve as a U.S. District Court judge. Geraci was confirmed by voice vote Thursday to the judgeship in New York’s Western District, based in Buffalo. He will work at the federal courthouse in Rochester. Minutes earlier, the Senate voted 91-0 to approve the nomination of Lorna Schofield as a district judge in the Southern District of New York based in Manhattan. read full story

12/12/2012 – Riverside gets a second federal judge; Jesus Bernal confirmed by Senate to district court
There’s always been only one federal judge in Riverside County. Now there are two. The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to confirm the nomination of Jesus Bernal to the federal bench. read full story

12/12/2012 – Bernal confirmed to fill Riverside federal judge vacancy
The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday, Dec. 11, to confirm Jesus G. Bernal to the federal bench in Riverside, filling a three-year vacancy that forced many Inland Southern California cases out of the region. read full story

12/12/2012 – Senate confirms Tulsa attorney’s appointment as federal judge
The U.S. Senate finally filled a vacancy on the bench of Oklahoma's Northern District federal court on Tuesday, confirming the nomination of Tulsa attorney John Dowdell 95-0 read full story

12/12/2012 – U.S. Senate confirms John E. Dowdell to U.S. district judgeship in Tulsa
After months of Republican stalling, the Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed John E. Dowdell to be a U.S. district judge in Tulsa. read full story

12/12/2012 – Senate Questions D.C. Federal Court Nominee on Sentencing Guidelines
At a confirmation hearing this morning before the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia judicial nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson fielded questions about her views on how she would handle terrorist detainee cases and how she would use federal sentencing guidelines. read full story

12/12/2012 – Nevada senators introduce Las Vegas lawyer to Senate Judiciary Committee
Las Vegas attorney Andrew Gordon faced routine questioning Wednesday by senators weighing his bid to become a federal judge in Nevada. read full story

12/06/2012 – Judicial nomination hearing set for Baton Rouge attorney next week
Baton Rouge attorney Shelly Dick has gotten another green light in her quest to become a federal district judge for the Middle District of Louisiana. read full story

12/10/2012 – Reid will continue to push Cadish for federal bench
Sen. Harry Reid said Monday that Clark County judge Elissa Cadish remains at "the top of the list" for a federal judgeship in Nevada, even as she has been blocked from consideration because of questions about her views on gun rights. read full story

12/07/2012 – Walker confirmed as U.S. District Judge
After a nearly 10-month wait, former Circuit Court Judge Mark E. Walker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Thursday as a U.S.District Judge for the Northern District of Florida. The Senate voted 94-0 in favor of Walker’s nomination with no debate. read full story

12/06/2012 – Panel approves District Court judge nominee
A key congressional panel Thursday endorsed U.S. Magistrate Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers to be a U.S. District Court judge. read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate panel OKs Troy Nunley for judge
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to approve President Obama's nomination of Troy Nunley, a native of Hunters Point in San Francisco, to become a federal judge in Sacramento. read full story

12/06/2012 – Michael P. Shea Confirmed For Federal Bench
Hartford lawyer Michael P. Shea was confirmed 72 to 23 by the U.S. Senate to become Connecticut's newest U.S. District Judge. read full story

12/07/2012 – In Post-Election Thaw, Senate Confirms Four Judges
The U.S. Senate this week confirmed four federal judges whose nominations had been held up in the months before the election. read full story

12/06/2012 – Troy Nunley moves closer to becoming a federal judge
A local judge is one step closer to joining the federal district court centered in Sacramento, but we still don't know what the delay was all about. read full story

12/09/2012 – Judge vacancies on horizon: Shortage on federal bench looms as appointees take senior status
Montana soon will have two vacancies on the federal bench, and it could be a while before they are filled. read full story

12/10/2012 – Senators wary of filibuster ‘nuclear option’
With that prospect looming, supporters of filibuster reform say they’re encouraged to see some key GOP senators signaling they’d like to cut a deal. read full story

12/07/2012 – Attorney Shelly Dick will get her judicial nomination hearing on Wednesday
Baton Rouge attorney Shelly Dick, whose nomination for a federal judgeship has been held up since April by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is scheduled for a Wednesday confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

12/09/2012 – Judge Frank Geraci Jr. awaits Senate confirmations
Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr.’s nomination to serve as federal district court judge in New York’s Western District is inching closer to the finish line. read full story

12/07/2012 – GOP Senator to Step Down, Paving Way for DC Judicial Nominee
Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) announced today that he'll be leaving Congress in early January to lead The Heritage Foundation, the prominent conservative think tank. read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate Rules Should Require Votes On Judges
The confirmation process for nominees to federal judgeships has become so tied in knots because of partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate that the bench is desperately understaffed in many jurisdictions, with remaining judges forced to bear unacceptably high caseloads. read full story

12/06/2012 – Michael Shea Confirmed For Federal Judgeship
The months-long battle over the judicial nomination of Hartford attorney Michael Shea ended quietly Wednesday when he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, 72-23. read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate Confirms Michael Shea For U.S. Judgeship
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Hartford attorney Michael Shea for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Connecticut. read full story

12/06/2012 – Terrence Berg appointed a U.S. District Court judge
Almost eight months after he was nominated by the president, Terrence Berg – who previously served as interim U.S. attorney in Detroit – was confirmed a judge of the U.S. District Court for the eastern district of Michigan on Thursday. read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate votes to confirm two judicial nominations
Mark E. Walker was confirmed to serve as U.S. district judge for the northern district of Florida on a 94-0 vote. Shortly after that vote, Terrence G. Berg was confirmed by voice-vote to be U.S. district judge for the eastern district of Michigan. read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate Moving on Stalled Judicial Nominees
The freeze on federal judicial nominations appears to be thawing for the first time since the presidential election, at least when it comes to district court nominees. read full story

12/06/2012 – Lame-duck Senate in no hurry to OK judges
Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican and ranking member of the SenateJudiciary Committee, said he won’t move more rapidly on judicial nominees in the lame-duck session of Congress because of “Senate precedent.” read full story

12/06/2012 – Senate panel advances lesbian judicial nominee
A Senate panel approved on Thursday the appointment of lesbian judicial nominee who would be the first out Asian-American judge to be seated on the federal bench. read full story

12/05/2012 – Senate confirms US Judge for the District of Connecticut
The Senate voted to confirm a federal judge to the District of Connecticut on Wednesday. Michael P. Shea was confirmed to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut on a 72-23 vote. Ahead of the vote, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) — who is retiring after this year — said he was proud of all the judges he had proposed to serve Connecticut during his time in the Senate, including Shea. read full story

12/04.2012 – Senate votes to confirm US district judge for Maryland
The Senate voted to confirm a Maryland judge on a 92-1 vote Monday evening. Paul William Grimm was confirmed to be U.S. district judge for Maryland. Before the vote, Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) urged their colleagues to vote for Grimm’s confirmation. “I ask for civic engagement in Maryland so [judicial nominees are] familiar with the life and times of those they adjudicate over,” Mikulski said on the floor Monday. “Judge Grimm does exactly that. He brings the right hard-working values to the bench.” read full story

12/04/2012 – Senate confirms Towson resident Grimm for U.S. District Court judgeship
Longtime U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul W. Grimm was promoted to a U.S. District Court judgeship in Maryland by a nearly unanimous confirmation vote in the Senate on Monday despite a backlog of nominations that has left dozens of vacancies on the federal bench. Grimm, a Towson resident who has served as a magistrate judge for the District of Maryland since 1997, fills the opening left by Judge Benson E. Legg, who assumed senior status this year. read full story

12/04/2012 – During Lame Duck, Senators Confirm One Judge and Agree to Vote on Another
The Senate confirmed a federal district judge Monday night and agreed to hold a confirmation vote for a second district judge before the end of the lame duck session, but at the same time cast doubt on whether 17 other pending judicial nominees could get votes this year. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), made it clear on the Senate floor that Republicans who agreed to these two confirmation votes during a lame duck session felt they were a rarity and a sign that President Barack Obama's judicial nominees are being treated more than fairly. read full story

12/04/2012 – Advocacy groups urge confirmation of judicial nominees
In a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a group of 23 advocacy organizations have urged the Senate to confirm 19 pending judicial nominees during its current lame duck session, saying that the nominations have languished while judicial emergencies are on the rise. read full story

12/04/2012 – Obama nominating record number of openly gay federal judges
President Obama nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro November 27 to a federal district court seat in Philadelphia, bringing to eight the number of openly gay people he has nominated for the federal bench. While Judge Quiñones declined to make any comment to a reporter concerning her nomination, the Human Rights Campaign posted on its website that, if confirmed, Quiñones “would be the first out gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench.” read full story

12/04/2012 – Process and politics: 2 federal judgeships in Montana opening soon
The move to senior status of two of Montana's three federal district judges virtually ensures that the Obama administration will get to appoint their replacements, probably next year. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull in Billings announced in October that he will go on senior status in March 2013. On Friday, the move to senior status for U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Great Falls was announced on the webpage of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That would mean that when Cebull, 68, takes senior status in March, it will leave U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen of Missoula, who took his post only last December, as Montana's only active federal district judge. read full story

12/04/2012 – Federal Judge Ranks Remain Thin In Connecticut
When the president nominated attorney Michael P. Shea to a federal district judgeship, it was to fill a seat on a court whose ranks in Connecticut are so thin that judges from elsewhere in the country are now imported to help carry the caseload. Nearly a year later, Shea has moved slowly to the top of the list of 19 federal court nominees waiting for confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Late last week, as the clock ran on the Senate's short, lame-duck session, court watchers hoped for a political thaw that would allow confirmation votes and begin to rescue understaffed courts in Connecticut and other districts across the country. read full story

12/04/2012 – Hawaii’s Federal Judge David Ezra to Quadruple Caseload in Southwest Border State
U.S. District Court Judge David Alan Ezra, the longest serving active federal judge in Hawaii’s history, took senior status as of June 27 when he turned 65 years old, but he has no intention of slowing his pace. In January, Ezra will move to a southwest border state to oversee cases there. Judges along the southwest border are overwhelmed with as many as 1,000 cases each year, making it challenging to give a speedy trial to alleged criminals as is required under the U.S. Constitution or to hear civil cases within a reasonable period of time. read full story

12/03/2012 – Four Seats On The Nation’s Second Most Powerful Court Are Vacant Come February
Late last week, Chief Judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced that he will take partial retirement, effective this February. This alone is an occasion for celebration. Sentelle is among the most ideological judges in the country. Just last April, he joined an opinion suggesting that all labor, business or Wall Street regulation is constitutionally suspect. If President Obama’s reelection accomplishes nothing more than allowing Sentelle’s retrograde vision of the Constitution to fade from the federal bench, then Obama will do more to preserve and protect the Constitution than many presidents can hope to accomplish in two terms. read full story

12/03/2012 – Leahy calls for Judicial Confirmation
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called late last week for confirmation of 19 federal judicial nominations blocked by Senate Republicans. Among those on the list are two Oklahomans: John Dowdell of Tulsa, nominated for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and Robert Bacharach of Oklahoma City, nominated for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Neither is considered controversial, and both have had the backing of the state's two Republican senators. read full story

12/03/2012 – Obama to appoint 2 federal judges in Montana in 2013
The move to senior status of two of Montana's three federal district judges virtually ensures that the Obama administration will get to appoint their replacements, probably next year. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull in Billings announced in October that he will go on senior status in March 2013. On Friday, the move to senior status for U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Great Falls was announced on the webpage of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Haddon, 75, could not be reached Friday for comment. The 9th Circuit page said he would go on senior status by the end of this year. read full story

12/03/12 – Committee Vote on Judicial Nominees Postponed
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday postponed votes on five of President Obama’s judicial nominees, including Sacramento Superior Court Judge Troy S. Nunley. Committee Republicans took advantage of procedural rules that allow them to delay nominations the first time they are scheduled for a vote. The delay did not sit well with liberal advocacy groups, which have accused Republicans of violating committee tradition by holding up non-controversial nominations solely for the purpose of slowing down the confirmation process. read full story

12/03/12 – Leahy Calls for Vote on Judicial Nominees in Lameduck Session
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said Friday that Republicans are still blocking votes on 19 judicial nominations as vacancies in some of the districts hit emergency levels. There are 83 federal judicial vacancies nationwide and 19 nominations still pending before the Senate. Leahy said that if the Senate votes on these 19 nominations, “we can fill almost one-quarter of our nation’s judicial vacancies, and almost one-third of all judicial emergency vacancies.” read full story

12/03/2012 – Judicial Vacancies Skyrocket During President Obama’s First Term
As President Barack Obama winds down his first term in office, he won't be looking back with pride at his record on reducing federal judicial vacancies.There are currently 83 empty district and circuit court judge seats. That means Obama is poised to end the year with more vacancies than when he was sworn in -- there were 55 when he came in -- and with far fewer confirmed nominees than his two predecessors had by the end of their first terms. read full story

11/30/12 – SJC Chairman Leahy Calls For Consideration Of Judicial Nominees In Lameduck
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), in a Congressional Record statement published Friday, highlighted the list of judicial nominees who have been pending on the Senate calendar as far back as March. While those nominees continue to wait, the number of judicial vacancies nationwide hovers at 80. Leahy called on Republicans to drop unfounded opposition and follow the precedent of previous lameduck sessions after presidential elections, when the Senate has confirmed every single judicial nominee reported by the Judiciary Committee, and with bipartisan support. read full story

11/30/12 – D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Sentelle to Take Senior Status
Judge David Sentelle, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, will be taking senior status in February, according to the U.S. Courts website. read full story

11/30/12 – Mike Lee Backs Down From Voting Against Every Single Judicial Nominee
For almost a year now, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has been one of the most intransigent obstructionists on judicial nominations. Until recently, he has categorically voted down every single nominee to the federal courts, a tactic he said was in retaliation for President Obama’s recess appointments of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and two others to the National Labor Relations Board. read full story

11/29/12 – Senator delays 5 judicial nominations, including that of lesbian
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today ignored the calls of national and home-state groups and delayed Judiciary Committee votes on five federal judicial nominees, including that of a lesbian. Grassley, the committee’s ranking member, has routinely held back committee votes on judicial nominations for one, two, three or even six weeks, usually without providing a reason. Ninety-seven percent of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees who have had committee votes scheduled have met with these delays, before confronting even greater obstruction on the Senate floor. read full story

11/29/12 – Grassley Responds to Critics of Nominee Confirmations
During President Obama’s first term, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved 160 judicial nominees, more than the previous four years under George Bush, said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking member of that committee. He responded during his weekly telephone news conference to a letter sent to him from 16 national and Iowa groups criticizing what they claim were unnecessary delays in confirming nominees. read full story

11/28/12 – Vitter removes block on judicial nominee
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said Wednesday he has removed his block of federal judge nominee Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, now that the presidential election is over. Dick, who was nominated by President Barack Obama in April to become the first female judge in the federal Middle District of Louisiana, based in Baton Rouge, was being kept from confirmation by Vitter in case GOP nominee Mitt Romney could defeat Obama. “I just thought so close to a federal election we should have the election and abide by the results,” Vitter said Wednesday. read full story

11/28/12 – Obama determined to fill federal judgeships
Buoyed by re-election, President Obama is determined to make his mark on the federal judiciary after years of seeing nominees delayed or derailed by Senate Republicans. To which those same Senate Republicans say: Good luck with that. The latest battle in what has become a protracted war over federal judges focuses on 19 men and women whose nominations have been pending in the Senate for an average of eight months. Senate Republicans declined to confirm any of them during the presidential election. They say the nominations will see a similar fate in the lame-duck session of the outgoing Congress. read full story

11/28/12 – Senator Backs Away from ‘No’ Vote Policy on Obama Judicial Nominees
A Republican senator is ready to remove one of the roadblocks that dogged this year's federal judicial nomination process. One of the most vocal opponents of judicial opponents this year, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), won't restart his categorical "No" vote policy on all judicial nominees that started in January, when President Barack Obama made four controversial recess appointments, Lee spokesman Brian Phillips said this week. Lee's stand against the recess appointments, which he says were unprecedented and happened when the Senate was in session, even led to an awkward vote where Lee sided against a nomination he supported: Robert Shelby, a noncontroversial nominee for district judge in Lee’s home state of Utah. read full story

11/28/12 – Obama taps three for district judgeships, but vacancies persist
The flood of judicial nominations that have come from the White House in recent months, including the three just made for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, could forecast a change in the focus of President Obama’s second term — his first having been notable for its dearth of judicial confirmations. The Eastern District nominations address only half of the shortfall in commissioned judges in the district and observers of federal judicial selection could not say how fast confirmation from the U.S. Senate could be. read full story

11/28/12 – Top Berks judge nominated to federal bench
President Barack Obama on Tuesday named Berks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to a federal judgeship in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Obama also nominated Philadelphia Judges Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro and Luis Felipe Restrepo to vacancies on the bench. "These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench," Obama said. "They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice." Schmehl said he was interviewed in November and December of 2011 by a nominating committee appointed by U.S. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey. read full story

11/28/12 – Swarthmore judge nominated for post
President Barack Obama has nominated three local judges, including one from Delaware County, to seats on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” Obama said in a statement Tuesday. “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.” Obama nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo and Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. read full story

11/28/12 – Supreme Court vacancies aren’t the only opportunity for presidents to leave their imprint on the federal judiciary. USA TODAY looks at the circuit and district court nominations of President Obama and his two immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, from the number of nominees who were ultimately confirmed to the demographic makeup of those who joined the federal bench.
Supreme Court vacancies aren't the only opportunity for presidents to leave their imprint on the federal judiciary. USA TODAY looks at the circuit and district court nominations of President Obama and his two immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, from the number of nominees who were ultimately confirmed to the demographic makeup of those who joined the federal bench. read full story

11/27/12 – Reid, McConnell Suggest Filibuster Reform Talks
In their second straight day of floor debate on potential rules changes, Senate leaders raised the prospect of direct talks that would avert Democrats’ proposal to change Senate rules in January by a simple majority. Such talks could avert what Republicans are calling the nuclear option of changing filibuster rules without a 67-vote supermajority, and would probably result in more modest reforms than the sweeping changing many liberals eager to undo filibusters hope for. That would track results 2005, when Republicans’ threat to use “the nuclear option” of a majority vote to bar filibusters of judges drew Democratic concessions. read full story

11/27/12 – Obama Nominates First Gay Latina Judge To Federal Courts
President Obama submitted another list of judicial nominees today, including Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, who is poised to become the first openly gay Hispanic jurist on the federal level. Judge Alejandro is one of three nominees for seats on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “These nominees are emblematic of the president’s commitment to nominating qualified, diverse nominees to the federal bench,” said Marge Baker of People For the American Way. “They are also a sign of the president’s commitment to solving the vacancy crisis in our federal courts without delay.” read full story

11/27/12 – Obama Nominates Hispanic Lesbian for Federal Judgeship
President Obama has nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, who currently serves on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, for a federal judgeship with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Quiñones previously worked as a staff attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from 1979 to 1991, and she served as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1977 to 1979, according to a biography provided by the White House. She began her legal career as a staff attorney for Community Legal Services, Inc. in Philadelphia from 1975 to 1977. Quiñones received her law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 1975 and her bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico in 1972. read full story

11/27/12 – Obama nominates lesbian Latina judge to Pa. court
President Obama has nominated for first time time ever an out lesbian Latina to serve as a federal judge, making another achievement for the LGBT community before the end of his first term. The White House announced on Tuesday that Obama named Nitza Quiñones Alejandro as part of a group of three nominees to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Quiñones is a lesbian and was recommended by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). read full story

11/27/12 – President Obama Nominates Openly Gay Hispanic Judge to U.S. District Court
President Obama nominated three new federal judges yesterday, including openly gay Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, who currently serves on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Quiñones, who was recommended to the President by Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.), has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. read full story

11/27/12 – Obama Nominates Three for Judgeships in Eastern Pennsylvania
The nominees would fill half of the six vacancies on the federal bench in that district, including two created this summer when Judge Berle Schiller took senior status in June and Judge Michael Baylson did the same in July, according to federal court records. One of the district’s bench spots has remained open since Anita Brody took senior status in June 2009, those federal court records state. read full story

11/27/12 – Obama taps Berks’ top judge, Jeffrey Schmehl, for seat on federal court
The eyes of the White House are on Berks County's president judge. President Obama has nominated Judge Jeffrey Schmehl for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Jeffrey Schmehl's colleagues appointed him president judge of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas in 2008, a sign of his fitness for the bench," said U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who along with Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, recommended Schmehl for the post. "He has also helped veterans in need of legal assistance by working to establish a veterans court in Berks County." read full story

11/27/12 – Berks Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl nominated to federal post
Berks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl today was nominated by President Barack Obama to a federal judgeship in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, according to the White House. Obama nominated Schmehl and Philadelphia Judges Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro and Luis Felipe Restrepo to fill three vacancies on the bench. The U.S. Senate by law is required to confirm the judgeships. read full story

11/27/12 – Three Phila.-area judges picked by Obama for federal bench
President Obama has nominated three local judges to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania based in Philadelphia. Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Luis Felipe Restrepo and Jeffrey L. Schmehl must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” Obama said. “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.” read full story

11/27/12 – Obama nominates three federal judges in Eastern Pennsylvania
President Barack Obama today nominated three people to fill vacant U.S. District Court judge seats in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. They are Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro; U.S. Magistrate Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo; and Berks County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl. read full story

11/27/12 – Federal judge nominees named for Pennsylvania vacancies
President Barack Obama on Tuesday nominated three judges to fill vacancies on the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, which handles cases from the Lehigh Valley. But the nominees, who hail from Philadelphia and Reading, will do little to satisfy a desire among local lawyers to see another Lehigh or Northampton County resident serving as a member of the federal judiciary. Nominated for consideration by the U.S. Senate are Philadelphia County Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, federal Magistrate Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo and Berks County Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl. read full story

11/27/12 – Obama set to nominate three Pennsylvania judges
President Obama is expected to nominate Tuesday two judges with Philadelphia ties and Hispanic roots, along with Berks County's top judge, for seats on the federal district court covering the Philadelphia area. Obama plans to nominate Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Luis Felipe Restrepo, and Jeffrey L. Schmehl for judgeships on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. read full story

11/27/12 – President Obama Nominates Three to the United States District Court
Today, President Obama nominated Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo and Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl for District Court judgeships. “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” said President Obama. “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.” read full story

11/26/12 – Judging the Senate
Part of the administration's problems in the Senate are due to inevitable opportunity costs: in the first term, time spent pushing the Senate on judicial nominees would have been time taken away from financial reform or health care reform. But President Obama can do two things to help his nominees before the Senate: change the backgrounds of those he nominates, and change the way he presents these nominees to the Senate. read full story

11/26/12 – ‘Politicians in Robes’? Not Exactly, But . . .
“Justices appointed by Republican presidents vote more conservatively on average than justices appointed by Democratic ones, with the difference being most pronounced in civil rights cases,” the three authors write. That correlation has become more pronounced since the retirements of Justices John Paul Stevens and David H. Souter, who were appointed by Republican presidents but were members of the court’s liberal wing. These days, for the first time in many decades, all of the court’s more liberal members were appointed by Democrats and all of its more conservative ones by Republicans. read full story

11/23/12 – Nassau judge continues to wait for Senate confirmation
Circuit Judge Brian Davis is waiting for a confirmation vote that may never come. Davis, who presides in Nassau County, was appointed by President Barack Obama to a federal judgeship in February. But nine months later the Senate hasn’t voted on confirming him, and Davis’ nomination will expire when Congress adjourns at the end of the year. Obama could appoint Davis again when the new Congress is seated in January, but that doesn’t mean a vote to confirm will be forthcoming. read full story

11/23/12 – Weil Partner Recommended for Southern District Bench
Vernon Broderick, a litigation partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, has been nominated for the Southern District bench by Senator Charles Schumer. Broderick, 49, concentrates on white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, regulatory investigations and proceedings, and business litigation. Broderick earned his B.A. at Yale University in 1985 and his J.D. at Harvard Law School in 1988. He then joined Weil Gotshal as an associate. read full story

11/23/12 – Weil, Gotshal attorney recommended for SDNY bench
Democratic U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has recommended Vernon Broderick, a partner with the New York law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, as a U.S. district judge in the Southern District of New York. Schumer said in a statement that he recommended Broderick, 49, to President Barack Obama on Wednesday. If nominated and approved by the U.S. Senate, Broderick would become the first Dominican American on the federal bench in New York. Broderick, who handles white collar criminal matters involving environmental law violations, securities fraud, and RICO, graduated from Harvard Law School in 1988. He began his career as an associate with Weil, Gotshal, then joined the U.S. Department of Justice in 1994 as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. read full story

11/21/12 – A Courthouse Of Their Own
The first black policewoman in Oakland who went on to hold three presidential appointments. A Big Law partner who decided to scale back to raise her kids but still impressed the White House. A young mom who put herself through law school while working full time. The women — Saundra Brown Armstrong, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and Kandis Westmore — cut very different paths to the federal bench at 1301 Clay St. in Oakland's city center, where they are a part of a historic moment in the Northern District of California when female judges hold all the seats in a single branch. read full story

11/19/12 – 4th Circuit shedding conservative reputation
In his first term, President Barack Obama has had an unprecedented impact on what was long considered the most conservative federal appeals court in the country. Except for the handful of cases that make it to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the court of last resort for the states of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and North and South Carolina. Since taking office in 2009, Obama has appointed six judges to the 15-judge court, the most of any president in the court's 211-year history. read full story

11/19/12 – Judicial nominees sitting on sidelines
As if Congress didn’t have enough on its plate this hectic lame duck session — the “fiscal cliff,” Benghazi probes and the farm bill to name a few — the Senate is facing an escalating backlog of pending federal judicial nominations that the legal community says is hurting the justice system. Senate leaders say they hope to act on many of the nominations by the end of the year. The list grew longer last week when the White House sent the chamber nominations for seven district court and one court of international trade judgeships that are vacant. read full story

11/15/12 – President nominates gay judge to U.S. District Court
President Barack Obama nominated William L. Thomas, an African-American gay judge, for the U.S. District Court. The president also nominated Valerie E. Caproni, Kenneth John Gonzales, Raymond P. Moore, Beverly Reid O’Connell, Analisa Torres and Derrick Kahala Watson for District Court judgeships. read full story

11/15/12 – Openly gay Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William L. Thomas nominated as federal judge
William L. Thomas was nominated Wednesday as a federal judge in South Florida. President Barack Obama nominated Thomas, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge since 2005, for a vacant post on the federal bench. If confirmed, Thomas would become the first out gay black man appointed to a federal judgeship. read full story

11/15/12 – White House Nominates Two for Southern District
President Barack Obama has nominated Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Analisa Torres and former Eastern District prosecutor Valerie Caproni, the deputy general counsel at Northrup Grumman, for slots on the Southern District bench. Torres, a 1984 graduate of Columbia Law School who sits in the Criminal Term, was first tapped for the bench in 2000. Caproni, a 1979 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, served eight years as general counsel of the FBI before moving to her current position as vice president and deputy general counsel at Northrop Grumman. read full story

11/15/12 – Native Hawaiian attorney up for federal judge position
A federal attorney who graduated from Kamehameha Schools and spent most of his legal career on the mainland before returning to Hawaii five years ago was nominated Wednesday by President Barack Obama as a U.S. district judge. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick K. Watson would be the first federal judge with Hawaiian blood since U.S. District Judge Samuel King. read full story

11/15/12 – Obama picks Kamehameha graduate for federal bench
President Barack Obama has nominated a federal prosecutor and Native Hawaiian to serve as a U.S. District Court judge for Hawaii. U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono said Wednesday Derrick Kahala Watson would become the only Native Hawaiian judge in federal court if he’s confirmed by the Senate. Watson became an assistant U.S. attorney in Honolulu in 2007. He’s been civil division chief for the past three years. He’s also been a federal prosecutor in Northern California and a partner at a San Francisco law firm. read full story

11/15/12 – Obama Makes the Call on Eight Judicial Nominees
President Barack Obama isn’t waiting for the lame duck Congress to limp out of town before he adds to his list of judicial nominees. Obama announced seven district judge nominees and one name for the Court of International Trade on Wednesday. The eight nominees would add to courts in California, New York, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida and Hawaii. read full story

11/15/12 – Gender imbalance: Hoping for better mix on the bench
It has long galled feminists that the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals -- which serves seven states, including Minnesota -- is composed of 10 men and only one woman, Diana Murphy of Minneapolis. Appointed in 1994, Murphy is the first and only female jurist ever to serve on that appellate bench. Only one of the other 10 federal circuit courts has a gender imbalance that large. read full story

11/15/12 – Senate Republicans Deciding If They’ll Confirm Judicial Nominees During Lame-Duck Session
Senate Republicans are split on whether to consider confirmation of judicial nominees, many of which have been pending for several months, during the lame-duck session or wait until the next Congress. Prior to the election, there were 19 stalled nominations to the district courts and courts of appeals, and in the week following the election, President Obama announced seven new district court nominees. If senators wait until the next Congress, the president must re-nominate the pending candidates. read full story

11/15/12 – President Obama Nominates William Greenberg to the United States Court of Appeal for Veterans Claims
President Obama announced today his intent to nominate William S. Greenberg as a Judge to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. President Obama said, “I am confident that Mr. Greenberg will greatly serve the American people in his new role and I look forward to working with him in the months and years to come.” read full story

11/15/12 – Obama Nominates Out Gay Black Judge To Federal Bench
The White House announced on Wednesday that President Obama has nominated Judge William Thomas, an out gay man, to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Thomas would be the first out LGBT black man to serve as a lifetime-tenured federal judge. It is unlikely, due to the time nominations take to proceed in the current Congress, that Thomas, currently a state-court judge in Florida, would see a vote on his nomination in this Congress. read full story

11/15/12 – Obama Nominates Out Black Judge To Federal Court
President Obama nominated seven new federal judges yesterday, including an out gay black man named Judge William Thomas to sit on the U.S. District Court in Southern Florida. BuzzFeed notes that Thomas, if confirmed by the Senate, will be the first out black man to serve as a federal judge. He is the third out judge President Obama has nominated, though. Obama previously nominated Pamela Ki Mai Chen to serve on the U.S. District Court in Eastern New York, while Judge Michael McShane, also gay, was suggested as a judge for the U.S. District Court in Oregon. read full story

11/15/12 – Judge O’Connell Nominated for Federal Judgeship
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell was nominated yesterday to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She was one of seven persons nominated by President Barack Obama for District Court judgeships. O’Connell was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California at the time of her appointment in 2005 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. read full story

11/14/12 – Republicans Split on Judicial Nominees
President Barack Obama’s re-election last week has exposed an internal rift among Republican senators over whether to clear the way for confirmation votes on long-stalled judicial nominations during the lame-duck session or delay them until the next Congress. Utah Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, a prominent Republican on the Judiciary Committee, predicted Wednesday that none of Obama’s 19 judicial nominees awaiting Senate floor action will be confirmed before year’s end. If they are not confirmed, the president must renominate them next year. “That’s not going to happen in the lame-duck,” Hatch said in an interview. “That will have to wait until next year.” Hatch’s position, however, is not shared by all his Republican colleagues. read full story

11/14/12 – President Obama Nominates Claire R. Kelly to Serve on the U.S. Court of International Trade
Today, President Obama nominated Claire R. Kelly to serve on the United States Court of International Trade. “I am honored to put forward this highly qualified candidate for the federal bench,” President Obama said. “Ms. Kelly will be a distinguished public servant and valuable addition to the Court of International Trade.” read full story

11/14/12 – Collins Requests Confirmation Votes on Judicial Nominees in Lame Duck
Maine Sen. Susan Collins is urging Senate leaders to schedule confirmation votes on long-delayed judicial nominees during the post-election session, despite reluctance from fellow Republicans. Collins sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., calling for floor votes for some of the 19 appeals and trial court nominees whose confirmation votes Republicans have blocked since September. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama names gay black judge to Fla. court
President Obama named on Wednesday an openly gay black judge as a nominee to the federal bench in Florida, bringing his first term in office to an end after making a bevy of gay judicial appointments. The White House announced Obama nominated William Thomas to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida as part of a group of seven nominees named to the federal bench. According to Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Thomas is gay and black. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Nominates Gay Black Man to Federal Judgeship
President Obama today nominated William Thomas to a judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, an appointment that, if confirmed, would make Thomas the first openly gay black man to be a life-tenured federal judge. Thomas, currently a judge on a state court in Florida, was recommended for the federal nomination by the Presidential Appointments Project, coordinated by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, BuzzFeed reports. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Taps William L. Thomas for Federal Bench in South Florida
Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William L. Thomas has been nominated by President Obama to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Thomas, who began his legal career as an assistant state public defender in Miami-Dade County, was as an assistant federal public defender in South Florida from 1997 to 2005. “Judge Thomas is a man of great integrity, who would bring tremendous knowledge and skill to the Florida Southern District Court’s bench,” U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson stated in a release. read full story

11/14/12 – President Obama Nominates Seven to the United States District Courts
Today, President Obama nominated Valerie E. Caproni, Kenneth John Gonzales, Raymond P. Moore, Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell, Judge William L. Thomas, Judge Analisa Torres and Derrick Kahala Watson for District Court judgeships. "These individuals have demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system," said President Obama. "They also represent my continued commitment to ensure that the judiciary resembles the nation it serves. I am grateful for their willingness to serve and confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity. Too many of our courtrooms stand empty. I hope the Senate will promptly consider all of my nominees and ensure justice for everyday Americans.” read full story

11/14/12 – New nominees include two to federal bench in Manhattan
President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated former FBI general counsel Valerie Caproni and New York state Judge Analisa Torres to be U.S. district judges in the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, the nominees would fill two of six vacancies on one of the busiest federal courts in the country. In all, the Obama administration nominated seven judges nationally to the bench. "Too many of our courtrooms stand empty," Obama said in a statement. "I hope the Senate will promptly consider all of my nominees and ensure justice for everyday Americans." read full story

11/14/12 – Cedar Rapids federal attorney recommended for federal judgeship
A federal defender in the U.S. Attorney’s Office who was the victim of a mugging on a Cedar Rapids running trail eight years ago has been recommended for a federal judgeship. Jane Kelly, a federal defender in the Northern District of Iowa, is one of two people Sen. Tom Harkin has recommended to President Obama to fill a vacancy for a circuit judge on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mary Tabor, a judge on the Iowa Court of Appeals, is Harkin’s other recommendation to succeed Judge Michael Melloy, who has notified the president Obama he intends to retire from regular service Jan. 30. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama nominates L.A. judge for federal court position
President Obama nominated Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell to be a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, and he encouraged the Senate on Wednesday to move quickly to confirm her and seven other court nominees. Currently, there are more than 100 vacancies on the federal bench nationwide. In recent months, Senate Republicans had blocked further confirmations, awaiting the outcome of the election. “Too many of our courtrooms stand empty. I hope the Senate will promptly consider all of my nominees and ensure justice for everyday Americans,” Obama said. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Picks Kamehameha Grad for Federal Judgeship
Watson was one of seven nominees to various district courts. In a press release, Obama said the seven “have demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system.” “They also represent my continued commitment to ensure that the judiciary resembles the nation it serves. I am grateful for their willingness to serve and confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity,” Obama said. “Too many of our courtrooms stand empty. I hope the Senate will promptly consider all of my nominees and ensure justice for everyday Americans.” read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Nominates Seven for Open District Court Seats
President Barack Obama announced seven nominations for federal district courts on Wednesday, asking the Senate to promptly consider all his judicial nominees because "too many of our courtrooms stand empty." The nominations, coming just one day after the Senate returned to session after the presidential election, was cheered by liberal groups that have long decried the political stalemate that has stalled judicial confirmations and left bench seats open. read full story

11/14/12 – President Obama’s nominees, the lame duck, and the still-climbing judicial vacancy rate
Typically, Presidents come into office with a large number of vacancies and gradually reduce them over the course of the first term. President Obama, however, will end his first term with more vacancies than he began it with; that is certain at this point, whatever happens to his 19 nominees pending on the Senate floor. That is perhaps the best answer to Senate Republicans who, after preventing confirmation votes on even the most uncontroversial Obama judicial nominees, are now arguing that none of these nominees can be confirmed because lame duck judicial confirmations are few and far between. read full story

11/14/12 – Judging Obama’s Second Term
The president might pledge that he will seek support from home state actors before nominating a judge for that state, but this support need not come from politically motivated Senators or bar associations. The president might informally appoint his own nomination committees in each state. The president can then tell home-state senators that these senators have a certain number of days to decide on a nominee, and failing that presidentially nominated home state committees will step up to fill the void. Presidents come and go, but federal judges stay. In the second term, it is important that President Obama find ways to focus his energies on judicial nominations, and find ways to ensure that the Senate does the same. read full story

11/14/12 – U.S. Middle District senior judges will soon outnumber active
The theme of doing more with less could continue in the U.S. Middle District of Florida, according to District Chief Judge Anne Conway. When U.S. District Judge John Antoon II of the Orlando Division takes senior status in June, the district will have 13 senior judges and 12 active judges if no changes are made. Both 4th Circuit Judge Brian Davis and U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Polster Chappell await Senate confirmation of their appointments by President Barack Obama to the district. read full story

11/14/12 – Harkin nominates women for 8th Circuit
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., has nominated two Iowa women to replace retiring Judge Michael J. Melloy on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

11/14/12 – Snowe, Collins want action on judicial nominees stuck in political limbo
Now that the presidential race is over, Maine's two senators are urging Senate leaders to take up a Maine judicial nominee that has been stalled for months due to election-year politics. Senate Republicans have blocked votes on Circuit Court judgeships since the summer under a decades-old "rule" that has been employed by both parties when they were in the minority. The theory behind the so-called "Thurmond Rule" is that if the party's presidential nominee wins the White House, the new president would likely nominate a different person for the post. read full story

11/14/12 – Maine senators renew push for Cape Elizabeth lawyer’s judicial appointment
With the election over and the conclusion of the 112th Congress approaching, Maine Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are asking for a floor vote on the stalled judicial nomination of a Cape Elizabeth lawyer. William Kayatta, a civil litigation specialist with Portland-based Pierce Atwood, was nominated to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston last January. His nomination was endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in April. read full story

11/14/12 – Election offers hope for judicial nominees
Yet there are signs that the next couple of years might work out differently for Obama's 35 pending federal district and appellate court nominees than the past four. Obama's re-election did bolster their confirmation hopes, especially those who have bipartisan support, nominations experts say. In Georgia, there are two openings on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Obama in February tapped Jill Pryor of Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore to fill one spot, but her nomination has not been backed by Georgia's senators, Republicans Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. Two seats on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia have been vacant since 2009 and 2010, respectively, despite Obama having made nominations for them. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Nominates Gay African-American Judge to Federal Bench
President Barack Obama nominated seven judges to the federal bench today, including the president's first out African-American nominee. Judge William L. Thomas was nominated by Obama on Wednesday to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. In a statement, Obama called on the Senate to promptly consider his nominees as too many courtroom benches remain unfilled. "These individuals have demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system," Obama said. read full story

11/14/12 – Colorado lawyer among seven nominated for federal judgeships
A Colorado lawyer is among the seven people President Barack Obama nominated Wednesday to be U.S. District Court judges. "These individuals have demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system," Obama said in a press release sent Wednesday. "They also represent my continued commitment to ensure that the judiciary resembles the nation it serves." Raymond Moore was nominated for the District of Colorado. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama Picks Public Defender For U.S. District Court Seat
President Obama has nominated Raymond Moore, the federal public defender for Colorado and Wyoming, to the U.S. District Court in Colorado to replace Chief Judge Wiley Daniel. Daniel will become a senior judge in January. The search for his replacement has been ongoing for months. Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet created an 11-member, bipartisan advisory committee to vet candidates. Moore joined the public defender’s office in 1992 and has held his current position since 2003. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1978, he worked for Denver law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs until 1982 and again from 1986 to 1992. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Denver from 1982 to 1986. read full story

11/14/12 – Obama nominates Raymond Moore as Colorado federal judge
President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated federal public defender Raymond P. Moore to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Moore is now the federal public defender for the districts of Colorado and Wyoming, a position he’s held since January 2004. If confirmed, Moore would replace Chief Judge Wiley Y. Daniel, who is becoming a senior judge in January 2013. read full story

11/13/12 – President Obama’s re-election clears path for two stalled Bay Area federal judges
President Barack Obama's return to the White House last week gives him another four years to shape the nation's federal bench, perhaps beginning locally with the expected confirmation of two Bay Area federal judge nominees who were on a list of 19 judicial hopefuls Republicans blocked before the election. "It remains difficult to tell what the (Republicans) will do," said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who follows judicial nominations. "If they get votes on the floor, they'll be easily confirmed." read full story

11/12/12 – Obama’s Victory Creates New Chance to Mold U.S. Supreme Court
Barack Obama, already the first president to appoint two female justices, may have a chance to name a third during his second term in office and deepen his imprint on the U.S. Supreme Court. With four justices 74 or older, actuarial tables alone suggest Obama will have another vacancy or two to fill before he leaves the White House in January, 2017. The oldest of the court’s nine members, 79-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has indicated she might retire in the next few years. read full story

11/12/12 – Study: US judges’ criminal caseloads vary widely
Federal judges across the nation are shouldering criminal caseloads that vary widely in size, sometimes even among judges in the same courthouse, according to a new study. The study by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, at Syracuse University found three courthouses where the judge with the largest criminal caseload had sentenced more than twice the number of defendants as the judge with the smallest caseload from October 2006 through July 2012. Overall, the study found 18 courthouses where the heaviest sentencing load was at least 1.4 times larger than the smallest. read full story

11/09/12 – Obama win ups Adams’ chances for judgeship
U.S. Attorney Felicia Adams’ chances for a federal judgeship soared Tuesday with President Barack Obama’s re-election. Without his win, her chances were virtually zero – with a Republican president likely to hold an entirely different list of judicial choices. Adams, 52, became north Mississippi’s top government attorney in July 2011, the state’s first black woman to hold that post. read full story

11/08/12 – Federal courts in a second Obama term: political peril and opportunity
Between 1969 and 1993, all 11 justices confirmed to the Supreme Court were named by Republican presidents. Now the re-election of President Barack Obama promises to continue reshifting the balance of federal courts toward a more progressive stage, a legacy of judicial power that may be felt for decades. Obama has already named two justices to the top bench -- Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- and it is possible he might name two or more in his second term. read full story

11/08/12 – Memo to Dems: Get to work on judicial nominations. Right now.
For all the talk about the fiscal cliff and the economy, what’s really going to make a difference as to whether Barack Obama’s second term is a success are his judicial nominations. If Obama’s accomplishments are really going to last — and if liberal reforms are to succeed over time — doing everything possible to reverse decades of conservative efforts to reshape the judiciary needs to be a top priority. Democrats need a judicial nominations strategy, and they need it now. read full story

11/08/12 – Analysis: Obama may now seek to make deeper mark on U.S. high court
President Barack Obama's election victory on Tuesday may give him the opportunity to deepen his liberal imprint on the U.S. Supreme Court. A Harvard law graduate who taught constitutional law, Obama, a Democrat, named two liberals to the high court during his first four-year term. With his re-election, the retirement of one or more justices in the next four years could preserve the present ideological balance or, more significantly, move the bench to the left. read full story

11/08/12 – Four Nominees For Federal Judge In Connecticut
Even if you are in mourning about the results of the presidential election, and I am not, you will agree that there is one occasion for rejoicing: With the elections safely behind us, both President Obama and the Senate can now turn their attention to fully staffing the federal judiciary. The judiciary was all but the forgotten branch in the run up to the general election, an odd occurrence, given its importance in our lives. read full story

11/08/12 – Win Offers President Time to Shape Court
With the incoming leadership of the executive and legislative branches nearly a carbon copy of the current versions, Tuesday's election could have the biggest effect on the sole unelected branch of government: the federal judiciary.President Barack Obama will need help from the Republican-controlled House to enact legislation, but he needs only the Senate, where Democrats strengthened their majority, to approve judicial nominations. Should vacancies arise on the narrowly divided Supreme Court, Mr. Obama, who appointed two justices during his first term, could leave a lasting imprint on constitutional law. read full story

11/08/12 – President Barack Obama’s victory is good news for two judicial nominees in Oklahoma
Oklahoma had two election-night winners Tuesday who weren't on any ballot — the federal judicial nominees whose confirmation votes had been stalled by Senate Republicans hoping for a new president. With President Barack Obama's victory, the nominations of U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach and Tulsa attorney John E. Dowdell should “fly through” the Senate, Sen. Tom Coburn said Wednesday. read full story

11/07/12 – Senate filibuster reform atop green group priorities
Green groups said Wednesday that they plan to make Senate rules reform to limit filibusters one of their top priorities heading into the next Congress. The organizations said they succeeded in their campaign strategy of electing Senate allies as a buffer against legislation from the GOP-dominated House. read full story

11/07/12 – Following Presidential Election, What Will Happen to the Judiciary?
Billions of dollars and months of work, and in effect, the federal government of the United States has stayed the same: Democratic administration, Democratic Senate, Republican House. Hundreds of stories of analysis and prediction will follow tonight’s result. Who will fill the president’s new cabinet? How will the lame duck Congress behave? The new Congress? How will the President’s actions change? What will happen to the judiciary? read full story

11/07/12 – Obama Victory Could Spell End Of Conservative Supreme Court
The decades-long campaign by conservatives to build a lasting majority on the U.S. Supreme Court may come to an end over the next four years, now that President Obama has been reelected to the White House. While it is possible all five of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices will try to hold onto their seats until the end of the Obama presidency, death and the siren call of a well-funded pension plan may pull one or more of them off of the bench. read full story

11/07/12 – Could Obama Win Boost Fogel Shot at Federal Circuit?
The re-election of President Barack Obama could be an opening for the nomination of former San Jose U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel to the patent-centric Federal Circuit Court of Appeal in DC. The Federal Circuit has two vacancies but only one nominee who has been waiting in the Senate wings for confirmation since November 2011. read full story

11/5/12 – Supreme Consequences
Did you hear the campaign dust-up over judicial nominations? We didn't either. read full story

11/06/12 – The Supreme Court didn’t make the cut in Obama’s campaign
Among the cleverest last-minute election messages to make it on to my Facebook feed came from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the nonpartisan advocacy and political arm of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It’s a mock front page of the New York Times dated June 20, 2014, that is font-perfect in its mimicry of the paper’s design and typography. The Second Coming-size headline is “High Court Overturns Roe v. Wade 5-4.” read full story

11/06/12 – Two Oklahoma Judicial Posts at Stake in Presidential Election
They’re not on any ballot, but U.S Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach and Tulsa attorney John E. Dowdell have jobs at stake on Tuesday. Both easily cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. But Senate Republicans blocked the full Senate from voting on their nominations. If the president wins another term, the nominations are expected to sail through. read full story

11/05/12 – How the Presidential Election Might Change Supreme Court
The highest court in the land seemed like one of the lowest priorities of the presidential candidates on the campaign trail. Even though the justices are closely divided on politically sensitive issues such as abortion, campaign finance, and health care, the composition of the court was hardly addressed by President Obama and former governor Mitt Romney. read full story

11/02/12 – U.S. Judge Hogan’s successor to be based in Eugene — if confirmed
A Circuit Court judge from Portland has been nominated to replace longtime local federal judge Michael Hogan, but it’s not yet a sure thing that Michael McShane will assume the post. That could depend on national results in Tuesday’s general election. McShane’s appointment could be in jeopardy if President Obama is not re-elected — because Mitt Romney could nominate a different candidate. It could also be in peril if Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate, which confirms all federal judges. The 51-year-old McShane would be one of only a few openly gay judges appointed to the lifetime federal post. read full story

10/31/12 – Obstruction in Senate taking its toll on courts
Halloween is the perfect occasion for analyzing scary federal judicial selection with three judges assuming senior status on October 31. Since 1987, Republican and Democratic accusations, countercharges and paybacks have haunted selection mainly because of divided government. President Obama has vigorously consulted with Republican and Democratic senators from states where vacancies materialized before actual nominations. Republicans should stop their tricks and treat the process more cooperatively. read full story

10/29/12 – Commentary: Time to fill judicial vacancies in California’s Eastern District
On Wednesday, Eastern District of California Judge Anthony Ishii will assume senior status after 15 years of valuable service. This means that the Eastern District will experience two openings in six judgeships. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has designated both as emergencies because of the substantial caseloads that the district’s judges carry. These vacancies, which are one third of the Eastern District positions, undermine justice. Thus, President Barack Obama must swiftly nominate, and the Senate promptly confirm, judges for the empty seats. read full story

10/26/12 – Wait nearly over for Cape lawyer
Personal anecdotes are a well-worn campaign tactic for presidential nominees in every election, and for good reason. At the Hofstra University presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 16, college student Jeremy Epstein asked the candidates the first question of the night, about finding a job after graduation. After the debate, Epstein became a minor celebrity because his story is easy for voters to understand and relate to, whereas unemployment percentage statistics on a piece of paper may not be. Personal stories like Epstein’s are everywhere, and both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney frequently bring up these anecdotes to make a point that will hit home with voters. But not many individuals can say the 2012 election will have the personal effect on them that it does for Cape Elizabeth resident William Kayatta. read full story

10/24/12 – Southern District judiciary comes together at ‘historic’ event to thank Lugar, Bayh
Judges and judicial officers from the U.S. District Court for Southern District of Indiana came together recently to honor Sen. Richard Lugar and former Sen. Evan Bayh for their service to the federal judiciary. The pair was recognized during a special luncheon Oct. 18 in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. Chief Judge Richard Young called the event historic because, for the first time, all the current Article III judges from the Southern District, as well as the bankruptcy and magistrate judges and 7th Circuit Judge John Daniel Tinder were present with the two senators. read full story

10/23/12 – Filibuster or bust? Reformers see a (small) window
Whoever wins the White House, there will be appointments, judicial nominations and legislation a-plenty heading to Congress — and one thing to watch for is early action in the Senate on filibuster reform. Proponents of overhauling the curious Senate custom see a window of opportunity, but it’s a narrow one with plenty of chances to cloud up. read full story

10/23/12 – U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee chairman tells Cleveland gathering that next president may decide Supreme Court makeup
Patrick Leahy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, told a gathering of Cleveland lawyers Tuesday that the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court might be decided by the next president. Speaking at a luncheon of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, the Vermont Democrat said the winner of the presidential contest could fill three vacancies on the high court over the next four years. read full story

10/23/12 – 9th Circuit Liberal Judge Betty Fletcher Dies
Judge Betty Binns Fletcher, one of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals most liberal members, died Monday at the age of 89. President Jimmy Carter appointed Fletcher to the appeals court in 1979. She is known for expanding the rights of those facing job and race discrimination, as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation. She also issued opinions on environmental law, water rights, Indian law and Internet obscenity. read full story

10/19/12 – Ceremony marks U.S. district court judge Gina M. Groh’s elevation to federal bench
Williamsport High School graduate and newly appointed U.S. district court judge Gina M. Groh says she is a small town girl who is living “a uniquely American dream.” “I didn’t get here on my own through just hard work and ambition,” Groh said at her investiture ceremony Friday in the Frank Arts Center at Shepherd University, where she graduated in 1986. read full story

10/19/12 – U.S. District Judge Inge Johnson goes into semi-retirement
Administering the citizenship oath to immigrants has been the favorite part of U.S. District Court Judge Inge Prytz Johnson's job in the 14 years she's been on the federal bench. It's a duty all federal judges periodically are called on to perform. But for Johnson, it's special because 35 years ago the Denmark native stood before another federal judge in north Alabama and took that same oath. read full story

10/18/12 – CBS Local Presidential Forum: Obama/Romney: Debate Supreme Court Nominees
With four of nine U.S. Supreme Court justices in their 70s and the next president in the position of possibly shaping the future of affirmative action, gay rights, abortions, and more with appointments he might make should any openings occur, the question of what kind of nominee he might put forth was posed to President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney in the CBS Local President Forum. The exclusive CBS Local forum is posing 10 questions on vital issues to the candidates so people can learn more about the men, their policies and outlook for the nation. read full story

10/17/12 – Democrats criticize US Sen. Scott Brown for praising Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia
Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats for naming the conservative Antonin Scalia as one of the U.S. Supreme Court justices he most admires. Brown was asked during a televised debate with Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren on Monday night to name a “model” Supreme Court justice. Scalia was the first name Brown mentioned, followed quickly by Chief Justice John Roberts, associate justice Anthony Kennedy and associate justice Sonia Sotomayor, an appointee of President Barack Obama. read full story

10/16/12 – US District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf steps aside; will assume senior judge status
US District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf, known for bringing a keen legal mind to bear in a number of high-profile cases, announced this morning that he will retire from full-time status on after 27 years. Wolf said in a letter to President Obama that he will take senior status at the beginning of 2013, when his rotating tenure as chief judge for the Massachusetts district ends. US District Court Judge Patti B. Saris is slated to become the next chief. read full story

10/14/12 – Supreme Court balance hangs on election
The next president may have the power to change the direction of the Supreme Court - and determine the future of abortion, gay rights, corporate influence in politics and much more. The subject has hardly surfaced during the campaign, apart from Vice President Joe Biden's brief reference at Thursday's debate to the likelihood of antiabortion court nominees by Republican Mitt Romney. It could arise at Tuesday's town-hall-style debate between Romney and President Obama. read full story

10/12/12 – Web Extra: Arkansas’s Newest Federal Judge Takes Oath of Office in Little Rock
A Little Rock attorney has been sworn in to a federal judgeship on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Kristine Gerhard Baker is a partner at the law firm Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow PLLC, where she specializes in commercial, employment, and First Amendment litigation. At today's swearing in, Judge Baker was praised by co-workers, friends and colleagues, including U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, who recommended her appointment to the president. read full story

10/05/12 – Critics say vacancies hurt system
Things became so bad recently that Connecticut's top federal trial judge felt compelled to send an SOS. Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson of the District of Connecticut asked colleagues from other states to lend a hand with civil cases when a shortage of judges threatened the ability of his court to deliver justice. The situation is not as dire in the Northern District of Illinois. But Chief U.S. District Judge James F. Holderman said four vacancies on the Chicago-based federal trial bench forced the judges currently serving on the court to take on more work. read full story

10/05/12 – 70 Open Federal Judge Appointments Will Have Long-Term Latino Impact
When President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court in 2009, the appointment made headlines because of her credentials, including as a federal District Court judge, and her Latino heritage. But equal attention should be paid to the push to fill more than 70 appointment-for-life federal court vacancies in four heavily Latino states. read full story

10/05/12 – 2013 Retirement for Little Rock Federal Judge Susan Webber Carter
A long-serving federal judge in Little Rock is getting ready for retirement. Judge Susan Webber Carter is on the list of "Future Judicial Vacancies" on the U.S. Courts website. The list shows her taking senior status (judicial retirement) next August, when she turns 65. read full story

10/04/12 – Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull to take senior status
Montana’s Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull of Billings will take senior status in March 2013. Cebull, who will be 69 in 2013, is being investigated by a special committee of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for alleged misconduct for a racist email about President Barack Obama he admitted sending from his work computer to friends in February. read full story

10/03/12 – Poll: Swing Voters Find Obama Would Pick Better Judges than Romney
According to a new poll, almost two out of three likely voters say Supreme Court appointments will be an important factor when deciding whether to vote for President Barack Obama or Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. And it seems, according to the poll, released today, that voter consideration of these issues is more likely to aid Obama than Romney. read full story

10/01/12 – President Barack Obama has heavily influenced federal courts in Bay Area
As his first term nears an end, President Barack Obama has lagged behind his predecessors in stocking the nation's federal bench with new judges. But Obama has had a powerful impact on the Bay Area federal courts and the influential San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, two courts where the White House has managed to win confirmation of a cluster of new judges who may mold the legal landscape on crucial issues for years to come. read full story

10/01/12 – Election’s winner may shape Supreme Court
Deeply divided, held in low esteem by the public, and battered by harsh criticism from both left and right, the US Supreme Court returns to work on Monday amid speculation that its makeup and ideological balance could change, perhaps significantly, depending on who is elected president in November. The nine justices have an average age of 67. Several have battled health problems, and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg will pass their 80th birthdays in the next four years. Though court-watchers tend to tiptoe around discussions of the longevity of justices, who have lifetime appointments, they say it would be no surprise if more than one were to retire in the next four years. read full story

10/01/12 – Hirono, Lingle split slightly over high court nominees
U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Gov. Linda Lingle say they would not apply single-issue litmus tests to Supreme Court nominees if elected to the U.S. Senate, but Hirono would be more likely to consider legal opinions on abortion rights, health care reform, campaign finance and gender discrimination when evaluating potential judges. Senators have the distinct constitutional authority to advise and consent on the president’s judicial nominations, a check on the president’s power to shape the federal court system. read full story

10/01/12 – Ceremony Welcomes New Chief Judge in California
An official ceremony Friday marked the passing of the chief judgeship in the Central District of California -- the nation's highest-volume federal court -- to U.S. District Judge George H. King. The first Asian-American to hold the position, King succeeds U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins, who served as chief judge since Jan. 5, 2009. He will lead a bench of 25 active district judges, 10 senior judges, and 24 full-time and one part-time magistrate judges serving seven counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. read full story

– 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gets first black chief judge
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has its first black chief judge. Monday is Judge Carl E. Stewart's first day as chief judge of the New Orleans-based appeals court. The Shreveport resident succeeds Judge Edith H. Jones, who stepped down from the post. President Bill Clinton appointed Stewart to the court in 1994. Before that, the 62-year-old served as a state judge in Caddo Parish and was elected to Louisiana's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal. read full story

10/01/12 – Mark R. Kravitz, federal judge, dies at 62
Mark R. Kravitz, a U.S. District judge who sat at the New Haven courthouse for nearly a decade, died Monday after battling Lou Gehrig's disease for more than a year. Kravitz, 62, of Guilford, who is survived by his wife and three children, was forced to restrict his judicial duties as the disease progressed, but continued coming to the courthouse regularly until last month. read full story

09/30/12 – Presidential race may leave lasting imprint on Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is not on the ballot in November, but its future direction on issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun rights, voting laws and the role of money in politics depends on who is elected president for the next four years. The justices, who open their annual term Monday, are closely split along ideological lines. read full story

09/29/12 – Controversial Michigan judicial appointee sworn in
With his hand on a Bible, Gershwin Drain stood confidently Friday in U.S. District Court in Detroit to be sworn in as the region’s newest federal judge. It was a day that was a long time coming, speakers at the ceremony said, with a few referring to it as a “long and bumpy road.” That’s because Drain was nominated in November, but his confirmation had been held up by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Several Republican members of the committee questioned Drain’s writings on the death penalty and gun control. read full story

09/29/12 – Gershwin Drain sworn in as U.S. district judge
Former Wayne County Circuit Judge Gershwin Drain was sworn in Friday to the federal bench in Detroit. U.S. Appeals Court Judge Damon J. Keith conducted the ceremony in the Eastern District of U.S. District Court on Lafayette. President Barack Obama nominated Drain to the bench in November. The U.S. Senate confirmed his seat in August. read full story

09/27/12 – Lawmakers to US Senate: Vote on judicial nominees
A pending vote in the U.S. Senate on two judicial nominees for U.S. Middle District Court would help fill a vacancy in Williamsport's federal courthouse, two federal lawmakers said. There has not been a sitting judge at the courthouse at 240 W. Third St. since 2009. Earlier this year Matthew Brann, an attorney from Canton, and Magistrate Judge Malachy Mannion, of Scranton, were picked as nominees for the court by the Senate judiciary committee. read full story

09/26/12 – Toomey pushes for vote on judges
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has urged Senate leaders in both parties to allow November votes for two federal judge nominees to fill vacancies in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, a district he said “has been in a state of judicial emergency since 2009.” In a letter sent Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Toomey asked them to schedule full Senate confirmation votes for Matthew Brann, a Troy attorney, and Malachy Mannion, a federal magistrate judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. read full story

09/26/12 – Superior Court Judge to Fill Federal Vacancy

A vacancy on San Diego’s federal court was filled over the weekend when the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Gonzalo Curiel to the bench. The vote Saturday came almost a year after Curiel, currently a San Diego Superior Court judge, was nominated by President Barack Obama. He will fill a seat that became open in August 2010 when U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan went on senior status.

read full story

– HNBA Letter to Senators on Judicial Nominees
Hispanic National Bar Association:  It is of utmost importance for the operational capacity and overall integrity of our judicial system that we appoint and confirm quality and experienced individuals to serve in the Federal judiciary in a timely manner. read full story

09/25/12 – Judicial Nominations Left Hanging as Senate Recesses
The U.S. Senate has recessed until after the November elections, without acting on 19 pending judicial nominations, including two in the Central District of California. Senators left Washington early Saturday, after confirming Gonzalo Curiel to be a district judge for the Southern District of California, and Robert Shelby, nominated to fill a judicial emergency vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. That left 15 district court and four court of appeals nominees without a vote, meaning they will either be voted on in a lame-duck session after the election, or will see their nominations die without a vote when Congress adjourns. Republicans recently made clear, when they filibustered the nomination of Oklahoman Robert Bacharach for the Tenth Circuit, that they would not allow appellate nominees to go forward before the election. They cited the unwritten “Thurmond Rule,” cutting off consideration of appellate nominees as of an unspecified date prior to an election. read full story

09/24/12 – Obama Selects State Judge for Southern District Spot
Justice Nelson Roman, 52, who joined a controversial appellate ruling that became a lightning rod for the debate over the New York City police practice of stopping and frisking citizens, was nominated to the Southern District federal bench by President Barack Obama on Sept. 20. Roman did not write the opinion, but he was in a 3-2 majority of the Appellate Division, First Department, which ruled that the police lacked reasonable suspicion to stop and frisk a 14-year-old who was found to be carrying a loaded automatic handgun. read full story

09/24/12 – Out of state judges coming to Connecticut to help with federal backlog
Sitting in his chambers on Main Street in Hartford, Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson has to feel like he is perched in the middle of the perfect storm -- legally speaking. In the past year, the chief judge for the U.S. district court in Connecticut has seen one of his workhorse senior judges die (Peter C. Dorsey); one of his active judges become increasingly incapacitated by a debilitating illness (Mark R. Kravitz) and another active judge promoted to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals (Christopher Droney). Additionally, Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Haight, who presided over the Shelton corruption cases, and Kravitz are no longer taking criminal cases or conducting civil trials. read full story

09/24/12 – Two District Court Nominees Confirmed as Stalemate Continues Over Others
The Senate confirmed two non-controversial judicial nominees for federal district courts during a session that lasted into the early morning Saturday, part of the last scheduled business until after the presidential election more than six weeks away. The Senate confirmed Gonzalo Curiel for the Southern District of California and Robert Shelby for the District of Utah, posts that are considered judicial emergencies because of the workload faced in the districts. Both men had the support of both of their state's senators and were approved by a voice vote. read full story

09/24/12 – Senate approves two federal district judges after partisan sniping
Maybe the scent of jet fuel from the planes waiting to ferry them back to their home states had gone to their heads, because on Friday, senators did something unlikely: they confirmed a couple of judges. By voice vote, the chamber confirmed Gonzalo Curiel and Robert Shelby to judgeships in California’s Southern District and the District of Utah, respectively. The approvals came after Republicans made a contentious move Thursday by blocking confirmation of 17 long-pending federal district judges, setting off another round of familiar partisan sniping over judgeships. read full story

09/24/12 – Gay federal judge criticized in conservative congressional scorecard
Anti-gay groups are decrying the Senate confirmation of a gay federal judge as part of their annual congressional scorecard evaluating the commitment of House and Senate lawmakers to social conservative values. The scorecard, a joint publication of the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family’s CitizenLink, was made public late Sunday night. The scorecard doesn’t explicitly mention that Fitzgerald is gay, but says he “supported liberal activist organizations and worked to promote homosexual rights in the state of his judgeship.” The anti-gay groups cast in a negative light Fitzgerald’s work benefiting the LGBT community prior to his confirmation as a judge and accuse him of withholding information about his past in the questionnaire response he submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

09/24/12 – Fort Myers judge eyes federal bench
U.S. Magistrate Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers is getting closer to become a district court judge. But it’s hard to be more specific than that. Both of Florida’s senators — Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio — want the Senate to confirm her nomination to a seat in Florida’s Middle District, which snakes from Collier County to the Georgia border near Jacksonville. read full story

09/24/12 – Senate confirms Salt Lake lawyer as federal judge
The U.S. Senate has confirmed a Salt Lake lawyer as a federal judge. Robert J. Shelby will fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for Utah, giving it a full complement of judges for the first time in nearly three years. “Bob is a good man who has studied our laws inside and out, and he’s going to make a great addition to our district court in Utah. He’s a hard worker who’s given his time in public service and defended the law in private practice as well," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. read full story

09/24/12 – US Senior Judge Horace Ward retires after a historic career
His place in history assured, U.S. District Senior Judge Horace Ward has retired from the Northern District of Georgia bench — where he has sat since 1979, when he became the first African-American appointed to a federal judgeship in Georgia.  Ward's federal judicial career has stood as "a constant visible reminder of the power of the rule of law in ensuring equal rights," said Chief Judge Julie Carnes. read full story

09/23/12 – Shelby confirmed by Senate as Utah federal judge
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Salt Lake City attorney Robert Shelby for a federal judgeship in Utah. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who recommended Shelby for the lifetime appointment, on Saturday praised the confirmation and said Shelby will be a welcome addition to the federal judiciary. "Bob is a good man who has studied our laws inside and out, and he's going to make a great addition to our District Court in Utah," Hatch said in a statement. "He's a hard worker who's given his time in public service and defended the law in private practice as well." read full story

09/23/12 – Vote for Federal Judge Nominees Delayed
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized his fellow senators for putting off confirmation of 17 district court nominees, including one for Western New York. Monroe County Judge Frank Geraci Junior was nominated by President Obama and supported by New York Senator Chuck Schumer back in February. The judge previously attended a committee hearing back in June. Now chairman and Democratic senator Patrick Leahy is blasting senate Republicans, saying politics and partisanship is creating unprecedented obstruction of confirmations. read full story

09/22/12 – Nominee to U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge is still playing waiting game
Shelly Deckert Dick, nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge in April, apparently won't get a committee hearing this year. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is holding up the nomination, saying that no vote should occur before the presidential election. Even if she had gotten her committee hearing, there's no guarantee the Senate would have confirmed her. Senate Republicans blocked a vote Thursday on 17 stalled nominees who have been cleared by the Judiciary Committee, many unanimously. read full story

09/22/12 – Republicans block Geraci’s nomination
The Senate entered the weekend without taking action on 17 pending judicial nominations, including that of Monroe County Court Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. who is being considered for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Thursday blocked a consent agreement on the nominations, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. read full story

09/22/12 – Senate confirms Shelby to Utah’s federal court
The Senate confirmed lawyer Robert Shelby as a federal judge for Utah late Friday, filling a vacancy that court officials said was causing a judicial emergency. The Senate, finishing up its last work before adjourning until after Election Day, approved Shelby by a voice vote. Federal court officials said earlier this summer that with cases piling up in Utah, filling the vacant judgeship was a must-do for the Senate. read full story

09/22/12 – Nassau judge’s federal appointment in limbo after Senate punts vote
Nassau County-based Circuit Court Judge Brian Davis’s appointment as a federal judge will remain in limbo after the Senate blew past another deadline for confirming him to the seat. Davis, 59, was nominated to be a U.S. district judge in Florida’s Middle District in February by President Barack Obama. The seat the president picked Davis to fill was vacated by U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara of Tampa in December 2011. It has been empty 271 days and has 663 active cases, about 50 percent higher than most dockets. Because of the time that has elapsed since Lazzara left the bench and the amount of cases, the slot is considered a judicial emergency. read full story

09/22/12 – Frank Geraci among judicial nominees blocked by U.S. Senate GOP
Senate Republicans allowed only two pending judicial nominees to be confirmed early Saturday morning, making Monroe County Judge Frank Geraci’s confirmation to serve as a district judge in the Western District of New York likely dependent on who wins the presidential election. Law professor Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond Law School said he doubts Senate Republicans will allow the confirmation of more than a few — if any — judicial nominees in a lame duck session scheduled for mid-November if Mitt Romney wins the presidential election. read full story

09/21/12 – Republicans block Tulsa judicial nominee as senators point fingers over inaction
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked an attempt to confirm 17 nominees for federal judgeships, including one from Tulsa. The move means Tulsa attorney John E. Dowdell — like Robert E. Bacharach, a U.S. magistrate judge in Oklahoma City — will have to wait until after the Nov. 6 presidential election to find out whether he will be confirmed. Senators and House members are expected to leave Washington this week until mid-November. read full story

09/21/12 – First black woman nominated to D.C. federal court in three decades
President Barack Obama made his sixth nomination to the District’s federal trial court Thursday, tapping U.S. Sentencing Commission member Ketanji Brown Jackson. The nomination is notable because, if confirmed, Jackson would become only the second African American woman to serve as a full judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and would be the first to be robed in more than 30 years. read full story

09/21/12 – Geraci’s nomination being blocked by Republican senator
The likelihood of Monroe County Court Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr.’s nomination for a federal judgeship being held over until at least after the November elections is increasing. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Thursday blocked a proposed consent agreement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on 17 nominations, including Judge Geraci’s, one of 12 judicial emergencies. read full story

09/21/12 – Parties Still Squabbling Over Stalled Judicial Nominees
Judicial nominees are still stuck in the Senate, and both political parties are again blaming the other.  Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats Thursday afternoon to have confirmation votes on 17 non-controversial nominees for U.S. district courts across the nation, including 12 who would fill seats in districts considered to be "judicial emergencies." read full story

09/21/12 – Circuit Court Needs to Let the S.E.C. Do Its Job
The second-most important court in the United States has three vacancies, one of which was created in 2005. It may yet be the institution that dooms many or even most of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms that Congress passed in 2010 and that regulatory agencies have been struggling to put in place since then. In the area of regulatory law, that court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, reigns supreme, and it is now controlled by judicial activists who seem quite willing to negate, on technical grounds, any regulations they do not like. read full story

09/21/12 – Politics Threaten Shea’s Nomination To U.S. Court
Congressional partisanship is threatening the appointment of another of President Obama's federal court nominees from Connecticut. Senators on Friday were preparing to leave Washington for a campaign recess after a failed attempt by the Democratic leadership to push through a confirmation vote on 17 district court nominees, including Hartford lawyer Michael Shea. The confirmations of Shea and the other nominees have become hostage to seemingly intractable political differences between Congressional Republicans and Democrats. read full story

09/20/12 – President Obama Nominates Two to the United States District Courts
Today, President Obama nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson and Judge Nelson Stephen Román for District Court judgeships. “I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench,” said President Obama.  “I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.” read full story

09/20/12 – Obama picks two for D.C. judgeships
President Obama has nominated a sentencing expert to the District's federal bench and selected a prosecutor to serve as a D.C. Superior Court judge, the White House said Thursday. read full story

09/20/12 – Senate Republicans Stick to Obstructionism, Blocking Effort to Vote on Judges
Republicans keeping to their obstructionist ways blocked an effort by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid to force votes on 17 district court nominations that have languished in the chamber. Obstruction of President Obama’s judicial nominations has been ongoing since the start of his first term, and the federal bench has a record number of vacancies, more than 80. Sen. Reid had called for unanimous consent to secure confirmation votes for 17 district court nominations. “There are places around the country where we have judges who are tremendously overworked on these cases,” Reid said. read full story

09/20/12 – Senate Republicans block votes on federal judges, doom two Bay Area nominees
Two nominees to the Bay Area federal bench have been sidetracked by the presidential election season. Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked votes on 17 federal judge nominations before adjourning for the fall session, ensuring that those judgeships will not be filled before the November election. The move torpedoes the nominations of San Francisco lawyer William Orrick III and Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar, at least for the time being. read full story

09/20/12 – Schumer urges Geraci confirmation
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor this afternoon to urge Republicans to allow the noncontroversial confirmation of two district court nominees from New York. The Senate is winding down its work prior to Election Day while Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr. awaits confirmation to the Western District of New York seat based in Rochester. read full story

09/20/12 – Senate GOP Refuses To Allow Votes On 17 Judicial Nominees; Sharp Break From Past Practice
Senate Republicans today refused to allow a vote on 17 pending federal district court nominees before leaving for recess. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid requested unanimous consent to take up and confirm all 17 district court nominations on the calendar. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell refused, despite the fact that most of the nominees have strong bipartisan support and some have been waiting as long as five months for a Senate vote. Twelve of the pending nominees would fill seats that the Administrative Office of the US Courts has declared “judicial emergencies.” read full story

09/20/12 – White House announces nominations to U.S. District Court for Nevada
The White House announced on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the nominations of two Las Vegas attorneys to fill vacant judgeships on the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Attorney Andrew P. Gordon, was nominated to fill a judgeship left vacant when District Judge Kent J. Dawson assumed senior status on July 9, 2012. Attorney Jennifer Dorsey was nominated to fill a judgeship that will be vacant on December 13, 2012, when District Judge Larry R. Hicks assumes senior status. read full story

09/20/12 – Judicial nominee John Dowdell may still get a vote soon
Tulsa attorney John Dowdell may yet get a confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate on his nomination as a federal district judge, an aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe said Wednesday. Dowdell has the support of Oklahoma's two Republican U.S. senators and is viewed as a noncontroversial appointment to the bench, but confirmation votes have been difficult to get during the presidential election year. read full story

09/20/12 – Mitch McConnell Objects to Senate Democrats’ Bid to Confirm 17 Judges
In a move that could signal the end of judicial confirmations until after Election Day, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) objected today to an effort by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to seek agreement to confirm 17 district court judges. Reid argued that 14 of the 17 nominees were approved by voice vote in the Judiciary Committee. Despite those pleas, McConnell objected to a unanimous consent agreement, noting that Senate confirmations of President Barack Obama's judicial nominees have been on par with those of President George W. Bush's nominees. He said he would allow confirmation of two judges, but not 17. read full story

09/19/12 – Obama nominates two Las Vegas lawyers to Nevada federal bench
President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated two Las Vegas lawyers to the Nevada federal bench. Jennifer Dorsey, a partner at Kemp, Jones & Coulthard, has been selected to fill the seat of U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson, who took senior status in July. Andrew Gordon, a partner at McDonald Carano Wilson, has been nominated to replace U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks, who is taking senior status at the end of the year. The nominations come as Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish's bid to fill another vacancy on the federal bench remains on hold. read full story

09/19/12 – President Obama Nominates Three to the United States District Courts
Today, President Obama nominated Jennifer A. Dorsey, Andrew Patrick Gordon, and Judge Michael J. McShane for District Court judgeships. “I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said.  “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Court.” read full story

09/18/12 – Former U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose Becomes Newest Federal Judge in Iowa
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose said it was bittersweet to leave her professional "home" after 16 years but she loves new challenges and looks forward to her new life on the bench in Des Moines. President Barack Obama signed her commission Monday and Rose, 39, became one of 72 federal judges confirmed during his administration. read full story

09/17/12 – CA federal courts jammed: Little relief in sight unless Senate votes on nominees
This week is likely to be the US Senate’s last work week for a while. It could leave some unfinished business: nominees to the federal bench awaiting confirmation. Chances are slim that senators will confirm nearly half a dozen California nominees before Congress adjourns for the November election.  The five California nominees have already cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee read full story

09/17/12 – Senate hearing for lesbian judicial nominee set Wednesday
A lesbian judicial nominee who would be the first-ever Asian member of the LGBT community to sit on the federal bench is set to have a Senate hearing on her potential appointment Wednesday. Pamela Ki Mai Chen, whom President Obama nominated in August for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, is scheduled to be among five judicial nominees who will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing will begin at 10 am and will take place in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226. read full story

09/17/12 – Court Vacancies Mire Appeals
With three of the 11 seats vacant on a federal appeals court in Washington, it’s getting harder to contest the court’s rulings. No new judges have been appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia since 2006, and the vacancies are unlikely to be filled soon. The D.C. court is widely considered the most powerful of the 13 circuit courts because it frequently hears challenges to rules made by executive branch agencies. read full story

09/14/12 – Obama ad hits Romney for position on Sotomayor confirmation
Both the Obama campaign and the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action are out this morning with new Spanish-language ads, including one from the Obama team that hits Mitt Romney for not supporting Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation to the Supreme Court. That ad, "Pagar la Cuenta," features Nydia Menendez, a Puerto Rican lawyer from Florida, talking about Sotomayor. read full story

09/14/12 – Obama Ad Hits Romney for Opposing Justice Sotomayor
A new Spanish-language TV ad from the Obama campaign airing in Florida attacks Republican rival Mitt Romney for opposing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. The spot suggests that Hispanics, a key constituency for President Obama in Florida, should be “offended” that Romney would not have supported the first Hispanic high-court nominee in American history. In a March radio interview with Noti Uno Radio, Romney said he would have voted against Sotomayor if he was given the chance. read full story

09/14/12 – Obama Spanish-Language Ad: Mitt Romney Opposed First Latina Supreme Court Justice
The Obama campaign touted his appointment of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's opposition to it -- in a Spanish-language ad released on Friday targeting Latino voters in Florida. read full story

09/12/12 – Steve Susman of Susman Godfrey L.L.P. Speaks to a Group of Local Attorneys About Restoring a Fully Functioning Judiciary
"No matter the issue - access to justice, health care, immigration, employment discrimination, privacy - the courts play an increasingly important role in everyone's lives," said Susman. "Regardless of where you live or what issues you care about, all Texans deserve a judicial system that works." read full story

09/12/12 – Judicial nominee Frank Geraci awaits Senate vote
Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr.’s nomination to the federal bench in New York’s Western District faces a critical period over the next 10 days. The Senate returned from a five-week summer recess Monday and voted on just one of 22 pending judicial nominees who are awaiting final confirmation votes after hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate’s window of opportunity is short. read full story

09/12/12 – Obama Appoints Record Number of Women Judges to Federal Bench
On Monday, President Obama set the record for most women judges appointed to the federal bench in one term when Stephanie Rose was confirmed on a 89 to 1 Senate vote as a new U.S. District Court Judge in Southern District of Iowa. Obama has now appointed 72 women to federal judgeships. This is the same number of women judges appointed to the federal bench during George W. Bush's entire presidency. Notably, Rose will be the first woman judge in the District Court of the Southern District of Iowa. read full story

09/11/12 – Obama Ties Bush’s Record of Placing Women Judges
President Barack Obama has far surpassed any president when it comes to placing women judges on the federal bench during a single term, and now the White House is heralding another milestone. With a confirmation of a woman to the District Court of the Southern District of Iowa late Monday afternoon, Obama had confirmed as many women to the federal bench in his first term—72—than George W. Bush did in his two terms in office, a White House spokesman said in an email to media. read full story

09/11/12 – With Rose Confirmation, Obama Sets a Record
President Obama is now tied with President George W. Bush, who saw 72 women confirmed to the federal courts in his eight-year presidency. President Bill Clinton saw 111 female judges confirmed during his two terms, including 61 during his first. read full story

09/11/12 – Rose confirmed as federal judge
Stephanie Rose was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Monday night as the first female U.S. district judge in Iowa’s Southern District. The vote was 89-1. Rose, 39, of Center Point has served since 2009 as the Cedar Rapids-based U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. She was nominated by President Barack Obama for the judicial post in February to succeed Judge Robert Pratt of Des Moines, who has taken senior judge status. read full story

09/11/12 – President Obama Appoints Record Number of Women Judges in First Term
The Senate’s confirmation Monday of Stephanie Rose as a federal judge in the Southern District of Iowa gave President Obama a record. Obama has now appointed 72 women to the federal courts, a record for a single term, the Huffington Post reports. Former President Clinton appointed only 61 female judges his first term, though his total over eight years—111 female judges—is a record. Thirty-one percent of active federal appeals judges are women, and about 30 percent of active federal district judges are women, according to statistics released last month. read full story

09/11/12 – Leahy Urges Confirmation Votes for Judges
Yesterday on the Senate floor, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy urged his Republican colleagues to stop politicizing district court nominations. As the Senate prepared to confirm one of the many district court nominees who would have had confirmation votes long ago but for Republican obstruction, he outlined the vacancy crisis facing America's federal courts. read full story

09/11/12 – U.S. Senate confirms Stephanie Rose as federal judge
Sens. Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley say the Senate voted 89-1 on Monday to confirm Rose in Iowa’s Southern District, which includes Council Bluffs, Des Moines and Davenport. read full story

09/10/12 – Senate approves US district judicial nomination for Iowa
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Stephanie Marie Rose to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Iowa on Monday. The 89-1 vote was the first since Senate lawmakers returned from the August recess. “Rose possesses an abundance of both personal and professional qualities we look for in those who serve on the bench,” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said before the vote on Monday. read full story

09/10/12 – Obama Appoints Record Number Of Women Judges To Federal Bench
With the confirmation of Stephanie Rose as a U.S. district court judge on Monday, President Barack Obama has put 72 women on the federal bench -- the most ever appointed by a president in one term. It also ties the number former President George W. Bush had confirmed in his entire eight-year presidency, according to numbers provided by the White House. In an 89-1 vote, the U.S. Senate voted to approve Rose as a judge in the Southern District of Iowa. read full story

09/10/12 – C.R. federal prosecutor Rose confirmed as judge
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose was confirmed Monday by the U.S. Senate as the next federal judge in Southern District of Iowa. read full story

09/08/12 – Politics may slow replacing Fresno federal judge
Replacing a busy Fresno-based federal judge this fall won't be easy as a gridlocked Senate and a distracted president likely will drag out the process. read full story

09/07/12 – Fitchburg native Hillman is U.S. District Court judge

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09/07/12 – US court in city gets first judge from Central Mass.
More than 21 years after the Congress approved the federal judgeship destined to give the second largest city in New England its first federal judge, Timothy S. Hillman became the first Worcester County lawyer to fill the position. read full story

08/31/12 – Judge Fowlkes moves from state to federal bench in Memphis
New U.S. Dist. Judge John Fowlkes was formally sworn-in Friday in a ceremony marked by high praise from friends for his hard work, integrity and an ethics policy so firm that he once banned Boy Scouts from selling cookies in a county building. read full story

09/06/23 – Federal court vacancies will likely wait on the election
A gridlocked Senate and a distracted president could delay securing replacements for a legion of retiring federal judges around the country.

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08/29/12 – Judge Richard Linn to take Senior Status
Judge Richard Linn has announced his intention to take "senior status" effective November 1, 2012. Judge Linn has been sitting as a circuit court judge on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit since January 1, 2000. On the bench, Judge Linn has always been skeptical of novel legal theories. It is fair to place him on the "pro-patentee" side of the bench – especially based upon his notion of broad subject matter eligibility and a high bar for inequitable conduct findings. Judge Linn authored almost 300 patent decisions and his voice of reason will certainly be missed.  Judges on senior status continue to hear cases, but typically with a reduced docket. read full story

08/29/12 – Judge Linn to Take Senior Status
Federal Circuit Judge Richard Linn will take senior status effective November 1. Judge Linn was nominated to the court by President Clinton and began his service on January 1, 2000. While Judge Linn will continue to hear cases in the capacity of senior status, this announcement gives the court a second vacancy. Unfortunately, politics is holding up confirmation of circuit court judges by the Senate. read full story

08/24/12 – Brann awaits confirmation
The only thing that stands now between local attorney Matthew Brann and a federal judgeship is a final U.S. Senate vote. Back in May, President Barack Obama nominated Brann and U.S. Magistrate Judge Malachy E. Mannion to fill two judicial vacancies on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Brann practices law in the Troy-Canton area. read full story

08/20/12 – In Congress’s Paralysis, a Mightier Supreme Court
The Supreme Court does not always have the last word. Sure, its interpretation of the Constitution is the one that counts, and only a constitutional amendment can change things after the justices have acted in a constitutional case. But much of the court’s work involves the interpretation of laws enacted by Congress. In those cases, the court is, in theory at least, engaged in a dialogue with lawmakers. Lately, though, that conversation has become pretty one-sided, thanks to the legislative paralysis brought on by Congressional polarization. The upshot is that the Supreme Court is becoming even more powerful. read full story

08/17/12 – Group Using Facebook to Raise Awareness About Judicial Nominees
While the Senate takes a break this month, the Alliance For Justice is starting a new social media campaign to raise awareness of federal judicial nominees they feel are unfairly being held from confirmation votes because of political fighting. The liberal group is posting a smiling photo of a nominee and biography every day on its Facebook page in a feature called, "Better Know A Nominee." read full story

08/17/12 – Obama Lags on Judicial Picks, Limiting His Mark on Courts
President Obama is set to end his term with dozens fewer lower-court appointments than both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush achieved in their first four years, and probably with less of a lasting ideological imprint on the judiciary than many liberals had hoped for and conservatives had feared. read full story

08/16/12 – Toomey blasts Reid over failure to hold vote on two federal court nominees
On July 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Matthew Brann of Canton and Malachy Mannion of Scranton as judicial nominees for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Those nominations were then sent to the Senate floor for a final vote. And now, nearly a month later, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid — who serves as the Senate majority leader — has yet to bring these nominees to the floor for a vote by the Senate. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, RPa., made a stop in Williamsport and criticized Reid of his inaction on this matter. read full story

08/15/12 – Aging Justices Give New Life To High Court As Campaign Issue
Four of the court’s nine justices will be at least 74 years old on Inauguration Day in January -- the first time that will have occurred in 28 years. Their ages suggest that one or more may be off the bench within the next four years, letting either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney appoint a successor and leave a decades-long legal imprint. A new justice would join a court now split almost evenly on questions involving race, religion, gun rights, campaign finance and federal power. Obama last week put new emphasis on the court as part of his bid to win over women voters, pointing to his appointment of two female justices during his term in office. read full story

08/15/12 – Fine nominees blocked by politics, justice says
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy says the Senate confirmation for new federal judges is too political and is keeping out highly qualified candidates who don't want to go through the difficult process. Kennedy told judges gathered in Maui that the Constitution requires Senate confirmation, but the process today is too partisan. "This is bad for the legal system," Kennedy said. "It makes the judiciary look politicized when it is not, and it has to stop." read full story

08/15/12 – Senator pushing for federal judge in Williamsport
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, said Tuesday he will do his part of make sure the Middle District of Pennsylvania soon has a sitting federal judge. Flanked by local community leaders, Toomey was in Williamsport at the U.S. District Court building to stress the importance of having a judge in Lycoming County. read full story

08/14/12 – Durbin: Screening panel being formed for federal judges
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says a bipartisan screening committee is being formed to assist him in selecting federal judges for the Northern District of Illinois. The district currently has three judicial vacancies. Before making recommendations to President Barack Obama, Durbin says he'll consult Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, who has established a similar selection process. read full story

08/13/12 – Coburn speaks at town hall in McAlester
During the meeting, District 7 state Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, posed a philosophical question to the Republican senator, regarding U.S. Senate confirmation of federal judicial nominees. Following a discussion between the two, Lerblance asked “Would you agree with me we should do away with Senate confirmation?” “Absolutely not,” Coburn replied. Coburn noted that the appointment of federal judges is a lifetime appointment where it’s possible to wield enormous judicial power. read full story

08/06/12 – Rep. Michaud aide: Long delay expected on judicial post decision
A vacancy is opening on the federal bench in Maine, but the work to fill it will not begin until after the November election because of the hold-up on judicial nominees in the Senate, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. "The election-year politics have all but guaranteed there's going to be no movement," said Ed Gilman, a spokesman for the Maine Democrat. read full story

08/06/12 – Search for new federal judge to be put off until next year
Looking for someone to replace a federal judge in Maine will be put off until next year, after the presidential inauguration in January, U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree said Monday through their spokesmen. U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal announced last week that he would assume senior status next summer. Under ordinary circumstances that would have triggered an announcement by Maine’s two Democratic representatives that a joint committee had been formed to screen attorneys and judges interested in replacing Singal. That is what Michaud and Pingree did when U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby and 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kermit Lipez announced they would take senior status. read full story

08/06/12 – GOP Senator: Don’t Let Politics Trump Judicial Qualifications
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told the ABA annual meeting that he’s concerned about politics trumping qualifications when it comes to the Senate confirming judicial nominees. A scorecard on Obama’s judicial confirmations record so far was published by Russell Wheeler, Visiting Fellow, Governance Studies at Brookings. ”President Obama’s circuit confirmation success rate so far stacks up fairly well compared to those of his immediate predecessors,” Wheeler wrote. “His district numbers lag behind, but some late-year confirmations could improve his tally, as they did those of his immediate predecessors.” read full story

08/06/12 – District judge vacancy frozen until election
A vacancy is opening on the federal bench in Maine, but the work to fill it will not begin until after the November election because of the holdup on judicial nominees in the Senate, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. "The election-year politics have all but guaranteed there's going to be no movement," said Ed Gilman, a spokesman for the Maine Democrat. U.S. District Judge George Singal plans to transition to senior status next year, a move that will create an opening for another judge. As the senior Democrat in Maine's congressional delegation, Michaud is charged with recommending nominees to the Obama administration. read full story

08/05/12 – North Alabama federal judge Inge Johnson to enter semi-retirement
After 14 years presiding over federal criminal and civil cases in north Alabama, U.S. District Judge Inge Johnson will go into semi-retirement this fall, the judge confirmed last week. Johnson will go on senior status, a move that will allow her to take a reduced caseload and work from her home in Tuscumbia. The move also will leave a vacant seat on the bench for the northern district of Alabama, which likely won't be filled until after the November elections. read full story

08/04/12 – Sen. Lindsey Graham: Qualifications of Judicial Nominees Should Count More Than Politics
Politics is putting the independence of the federal judiciary at risk, Sen. Lindsey Graham said this evening in his keynote speech at the opening assembly of the ABA Annual Meeting. "I'm really worried about how we're doing confirmations," said Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "They're turning into political events. I'm a conservative, and I'd like conservative judges on the federal bench," Graham said, but if President Barack Obama is re-elected in November, then "his nominees are entitled to be confirmed as long as they're qualified." read full story

08/04/12 – Judge’s appointment to federal bench stalled

The wait continues for San Diego Superior Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel. With the U.S. Senate set to begin its August recess on Monday, Curiel’s wait for a confirmation vote on his stalled nomination to a seat on the federal bench in San Diego will go on for at least another month. The 58-year-old Curiel was nominated in November to take a seat that opened when U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan went on senior status with the court. But Curiel’s nomination to the bench has been caught up, along with others, in the contentious judicial approval process in the Senate.

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08/03/12 – Senate GOP, Again, Blocks D.C. Circuit Nominee
Senate Republicans once again made clear Thursday that there is serious opposition to Caitlin Halligan becoming a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. When the Senate adjourns for more than 30 days, all nominations are returned to the White House unless all Senators agree in a resolution to hold them. While all of President Barack Obama's other judicial nominations were held by the Senate on Thursday before the summer recess, at least one Republican senator refused to agree to keep Halligan’s nomination active. Democrats ended up agreeing to a resolution that would have sent Halligan's nomination back to the White House, which would end her judicial bid. But Halligan, the general counsel of the Manhattan district attorney's office, remains a nominee for now because of a procedural quirk. read full story

08/03/12 – President Obama Nominates Fifth Openly Gay Nominee To The Federal Bench
Since taking office, President Obama has quadrupled the number of openly gay judges holding lifetime appointments to the federal bench, although this fact has as much to do with the poor record of past presidents in naming gay judges as it does with President Obama’s commitment to diversity. Before Obama took office, only one openly gay judge — Clinton appointee Deborah Batts — was an Article III federal judge. read full story

08/02/12 – Senate panel OKs 2 Bay Area judge nominees
President Obama's two nominees for federal judgeships in San Francisco won approval Thursday from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee sent Alameda County Judge Jon Tigar's nomination to the Senate floor on a unanimous voice vote and approved Justice Department lawyer William Orrick III by 12-6, with two Republicans joining the panel's Democratic members in support. read full story

08/02/12 – Republicans Filibuster Judge Robert Bacharach’s Confirmation
Judge Robert Bacharach has entered the ranks of filibustered judicial nominees, and he wasn’t even a controversial choice. Judge Bacharach’s nomination was derailed this week due to the Senate’s Thurmond/Leahy Rule. The “rule” is actually a Senate custom: Senators typically do not approve judicial nominations close to a presidential election since a possible new president would want to make his or her own appointments, The Hill reports. According to the Heritage Foundation, which opposed an up-or-down vote on Judge Bacharach's nomination, "Mr. Bacharach's qualifications or views are not the principal reason to oppose this vote. Instead, the Senate leadership knows that a vote on his nomination at this time is a violation of the traditions of the Senate, and is simply taunting Republican senators to test their resolve." read full story

08/02/12 – Obama Nominates ‘Trailblazer’ for New York District Judge Post
If confirmed, Chen would be the second female Chinese-American federal judge in U.S. history, and also would be one of the first openly lesbian federal judges, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "Pamela Chen will be an excellent federal judge. She is an experienced attorney with a long record of public service who possesses the legal excellence, intellect and temperament to be a first-rate judge," Schumer said. "Ms. Chen is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Her leadership skills, her commitment to justice, and her extensive experience make her a fantastic choice for a position on the Eastern District Court." read full story

08/02/12 – Openly gay Brooklyn prosecutor nominated for federal bench
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated a veteran civil-rights prosecutor from the Eastern District of New York for a judicial vacancy on the Brooklyn federal court, according to a statement from the White House. Pamela Ki Mai Chen would, if confirmed, be the second female Chinese-American judge in U.S. history and among only a few openly gay women on the federal bench, according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, who recommended Chen. She is currently chief of the criminal division in the civil rights section. read full story

08/02/12 – Schumer Recommends U.S. Prosecutor for Bench
Senator Charles Schumer yesterday recommended Pamela Ki Mai Chen, chief of the civil rights section in the Criminal Division of the Eastern District U.S. Attorney's Office, for the Eastern District bench. If the White House nominates her and she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Chen would fill the Eastern District's only opening, created in April 2011 when Judge Raymond Dearie took senior status. Before joining the Eastern District office in 1998, Chen, 51, served for eight years as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division. read full story

08/02/12 – Obama nominates Chinese-American lesbian to federal bench
Chen’s nomination makes her the fifth openly LGBT person that the Obama administration has nominated to the federal bench. Alison Nathan, another lesbian, was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as were two gay men: J. Paul Oetken, who was confirmed to the same court, and Michael Fitzgerald, who was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Edmund Dumont, was nominated to serve on the U S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but his nomination was withdrawn after the Senate took action on his nomination over the course of 18 months. read full story

08/02/12 – Obama Nominates Gay Chinese-American to Federal Judgeship
President Obama today nominated out gay federal prosecutor Pamela Chen to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. If confirmed, Chen would become the second female Chinese-American in history and one of only a few out lesbians to hold one of the country’s 900 lifetime federal judgeship appointments. read full story

08/02/12 – Senate Confirms Judge for Michigan District; Committee Okays Three Others
The Senate narrowly confirmed a federal judge Thursday to the Eastern District of Michigan, despite some Republicans expressing concern about his views on gun ownership rights and the death penalty. Gershwin Drain was confirmed in a 55-41 vote mainly along party lines, and will fill a bench spot considered a judicial emergency. The position has been empty since Bernard Friedman took senior status in January 2009, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Also on Thursday, the Judiciary Committee also approved three district court judicial nominees, including Thomas Durkin for the Northern District of Illinois, and Jon Tigar and William Orrick III for the Northern District of California. read full story

08/02/12 – Bay Area federal judge nominees win Senate panel OK
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the federal judge nominations of Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar and San Francisco lawyer William Orrick III, pushing them closer to joining the Bay Area federal bench. Tigar and Orrick now move to the Senate floor, where nearly two dozen federal judge nominees are hoping to get a vote on the eve of the presidential election. Federal judge nominations often grind to a halt as the election draws closer, although noncontroversial district court judges often make it through the process. read full story

08/02/12 – Senate approves judicial nomination
The 55-41 vote came after Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Drain had an “impressive” legal background. Levin said there is a large backlog of cases in Michigan, so many that it qualifies as a “judicial emergency.” Most of the opposition came from Republicans, but Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Dan Coats (R-Ind.) were among those voting in favor of the nomination. read full story

08/02/12 – Senate confirms Gershwin Drain as U.S. district judge
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Wayne County Circuit Judge Gershwin A. Drain to serve on the U.S. District Court in Detroit on a 55-41 vote. President Barack Obama nominated Drain to the post last November and his confirmation has been held up since a 10-6 vote in his favor on the Senate Judiciary Committee in March. Several Republican members of the committee questioned Drain’s past writings particularly on questions of the death penalty and gun control. read full story

08/02/12 – U.S. Senate confirms Gershwin Drain to Detroit federal bench
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Wayne County Circuit Judge Gershwin Drain to a seat on the federal bench in Detroit. By a 55-41 vote on largely party lines, the Senate confirmed Drain to one of two open seats on the U.S. District Court. President Barack Obama nominated Drain to the bench in November. Drain didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, praised Drain's confirmation.   read full story

08/01/12 – Obama Nominates Out Lesbian for Federal Judgeship
President Obama has taken Sen. Charles Schumer's recommendation and nominated Pamela Ki Mai Chen to a federal judgeship. “I am proud to nominate this outstanding candidate to serve on the United States District Court bench,” the president said in a statement.  “Pamela Chen has a long and distinguished record of service, and I am confident she will serve on the federal bench with distinction.” read full story

08/01/12 – Vacancy opening on federal bench in Maine
U.S. District Judge George Singal plans to take senior status next year, a move that will create a vacancy on the federal bench in Maine. Singal plans to take senior status on July 31, 2013 and to maintain his chambers in Portland and hear federal cases in Maine, according to an announcement released by Chief U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr. "We have all been fortunate to have had his dedicated service as an active judge and I look forward to his active engagement as a senior judge," Woodcock said in a statement. read full story

07/31/12 – Oklahoma senator’s ‘present’ votes on judicial nomination follow political trend
Nearly two weeks ago, on C-SPAN, Sen. Tom Coburn had some harsh words for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Coburn, R-Muskogee, accused Reid of avoiding tough votes and said the leader “is keeping senators from having to be who they should be — men and women who are willing to stand up and take a position and defend it.” Whether or not he was directly responding to those comments, Reid gave Coburn a chance on Monday to take a position and defend it. Coburn declined to take a position. read full story

07/31/12 – Mitch McConnell leads unprecedented filibuster against appeals court nominee
For the first time ever, an appeals court nominee with bipartisan Judicial Committee support was blocked by Senate Republicans, urged on by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. His reason? He says he's honoring past Senate tradition of not approving judges so close to a presidential election. Because McConnell, the guy who has set numerous records for obstruction, cares so much about Senate tradition. read full story

07/31/12 – Senate Blocks 10th Circuit Nominee, Apparently Shutting Down Confirmation Process for Appeals Judges
A noncontroversial nominee to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals won’t get a Senate vote after a failed effort to stop a Republican filibuster. Last month, ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III expressed “grave concern” about the longstanding number of judicial vacancies in a letter (PDF) to McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to a press release. The letter asked for floor votes on Bacharach and two other noncontroversial federal appeals judges. read full story

07/31/12 – Judicial Nominations Likely Dead for the Year After Senate GOP Filibuster
Coburn always positions himself as the guy who votes his conscience no matter what custom or fashion. I guess that only matters when voting against providing resources for unsolved civil rights crimes, not phantom election-year traditions. For his part, Inhofe said, “It’s awkward [that] one of the best nominees, Robert Bacharach, is the one that’s the subject of this thing, and I regret that’s the case.” Not enough to vote for the confirmation, but he does regret it, so you know. It’s doubtful that we will see another judicial vote before the election. If someone like Bacharach cannot get through, it’s unclear who can. read full story

07/31/12 – Senate blocks judicial nominations, including William Kayatta for 1st Cirtcuit Court of Appeals
Senate Democrats failed to garner enough bipartisan votes to end an election-year block on Circuit Court judicial nominations -- including one from Maine -- despite the support of the state's two Republican senators. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday's vote would likely be the final attempt this year to approve nominees for federal Circuit Court seats. As a result, it appears that the Senate will not vote on the nomination of Cape Elizabeth attorney William Kayatta for the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

07/31/12 – State judicial nominee has confirmation blocked
Oklahoma judicial nominee and University of Oklahoma graduate Robert Bacharach became the focus of political wrangling between Republicans and Democrats on Monday when Senate Republicans blocked his confirmation to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Obama nominated Bacharach to the circuit court in January. Bacharach has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma since 1999. read full story

07/30/12 – Outside Groups Line Up on Bacharach Vote
Some outside groups are watching the Senate’s vote scheduled for Monday on advancing U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach past a Republican filibuster toward confirmation on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The conservative group Heritage Action, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation think tank, is urging senators to hold the Republican line. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is advocating for Bacharach’s confirmation. read full story

07/30/12 – UPDATE: Oklahoma Judge’s Fate Could Come Down to Republican Sens. Coburn, Inhofe
It’s possible that Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe could determine whether U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach, of Edmond, is confirmed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Neither is saying whether they will vote on Monday to break the Republican blockade that has kept the Senate from confirming the magistrate, who has been endorsed by both Coburn and Inhofe and won overwhelming approval last month in the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

07/30/12 – Filibuster blocks Obama’s court appointee
Senate Republican leaders on Monday delivered a major blow to President Obama’s ability to fill high-level federal judicial openings, making good on a threat to block votes on circuit court nominations until next year. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky used a filibuster to thwart the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach for the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court, arguing that high-level lifetime judicial appointments shouldn’t take place during the final months before a presidential election. read full story

07/30/12 – Finger pointing flares after GOP filibusters Oklahoma judge
But while both parties have a name associated with the action of blocking circuit court nominees in an election year, this argument is like listening to a husband and wife battle it out, because neither side thinks the rule always applies when the other does. In other words, you are unfairly blocking my nominees, while I (of course) never wrongly block your nominees. The story is that the Leahy-Thurmond rule really originated back when Thurmond was blocking a nominee of President Lyndon Johnson, but while both parties have embraced these tactics at times, they have also denounced them, and the time limit has changed here and there as well. read full story

07/30/12 – Republicans block confirmation of Oklahoma judge
Carrying out their threat to block appeals court nominees as the fall elections approach, Senate Republicans on Monday blocked confirmation of a U.S. appeals court nominee from Oklahoma despite his bipartisan support. Robert Bacharach's nomination to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was filibustered because of an unwritten rule that says a party may block a judicial nominee when it believes the White House will change hands. Republicans hope that Mitt Romney will be elected and make his own nominations for the federal courts. Bacharach's home state Republican senators, Tom Coburn and James Inhofe, said the nominee was well qualified but they went along with the approach. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate vote ends action on appeals court nominees before election
Senate Republicans blocked the nomination of a federal appeals court judge Monday, essentially ending any action on appellate nominees until after the presidential election. The vote also concludes Sen. Mike Lee’s blanket opposition to President Barack Obama’s nominees, which he began in January out of anger with the president’s use of his recess appointment power. Lee was campaigning in Wisconsin for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and missed Monday’s vote, though he supports blocking the nominee and any other appellate judges, noting it has become a tradition for the minority party to halt action on Circuit Court nominees later in a presidential election year. The argument is that the president shouldn’t make lifetime appointments when he soon may be out of office. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate GOP blocks popular judicial nominee, halts confirmations
The Senate was unable to break the election-year blockade of judicial nominees Monday as Republicans filibustered one of President Obama's popular picks for appellate court in Oklahoma, all but ensuring no further such confirmations will be made by this Congress. The filibuster showed that neither bipartisan support for nominees nor the shortage of judges in the nation’s legal system would prevent the partisan fighting that is defining the countdown to the November election. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate Republicans filibuster Obama judicial nominee
In keeping with their vow to prevent any more of President Barack Obama's appeals court nominees from being confirmed until after the election, Senate Republicans successfully upheld Monday their filibuster of Judge Robert Bacharach's nomination to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Denver. The filibuster came despite praise for Bacharach from the two GOP senators from Oklahoma, where he is currently a federal magistrate judge, and the support of three centrist Republicans who voted across the aisle. The vote was 56-34, several votes short of the 60 the Democrats needed to break the filibuster. Each Oklahoma senator, torn between their support for the nominee and their desire not to undermine their Senate leadership, voted present. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate blocks Obama judge nominee
Senate Democrats failed Monday evening in an effort to end a filibuster on the nomination of Magistrate Judge Robert Bacharach to a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. With 60 votes needed to break the filibuster by Republican members, the Democrats failed by 4 votes. All 51 Democrats present voted to end the roadblock to the Oklahoma judge’s elevation. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate Filibusters Oklahoma Judicial Nominee
Citing Senate practice in an election year, Republicans filibustered the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach of Oklahoma to fill a spot on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The confirmation failed, 56-34. Sixty votes are needed to overcome a filibuster and cut off debate. “It’s awkward [that] one of the best nominees, Robert Bacharach, is the one that’s the subject of this thing, and I regret that’s the case,” Inhofe said before the vote. read full story

07/30/12 – Republican opposition in Senate kills move to confirm Oklahoman to appeals court post
With Oklahoma's senators effectively sidelining themselves, the Senate failed Monday to advance an Oklahoma City magistrate past a Republican blockade and toward confirmation to a federal appeals court. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach likely will now have to count on President Barack Obama to win re-election to be confirmed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The procedural vote to advance his nomination was 56 to 34, with only three Republicans joining Democrats and independents; 60 votes were needed under the procedural test. read full story

07/30/12 – Senate Blocks Tenth Circuit Nominee; Could Be Last Such Vote Until After Election
The Senate effectively shut down the process for confirming new federal appeals court judges on Monday, at least until after the election. Republicans blocked the confirmation of Robert Bacharach for a spot on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Bacharach, currently a magistrate judge in the Western District of Oklahoma, was non-controversial and supported by both of the Republican senators from his home state. "This is not about the individual who has been nominated," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor in a debate. McConnell instead called the block part of a Senate tradition for "a bipartisan timeout" before the Nov. 6 presidential election. read full story

07/30/12 – GOP senators block Obama judicial nominee Robert Bacharach
Senate Republicans blocked one of President Barack Obama’s noncontroversial judicial nominees on Monday – invoking a long-held tradition that no confirmations be approved in the waning months before a presidential election. With a 56-34 vote, the Senate didn’t break the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed to the nomination of Robert Bacharach, who was chosen to serve on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals by Obama in January. Three Republican senators voted present. read full story

07/29/12 – Senate could vote on judicial nominee Monday
A federal court nomination for Maine that has been stuck in election-year limbo may soon move forward, or at least that's the hope of Maine's two senators. The U.S. Senate has scheduled an initial vote on a judicial nominee from Oklahoma for Monday. If the nomination of Robert Bacharach proceeds without obstruction, it could lead to a later vote on Cape Elizabeth lawyer William Kayatta Jr. Kayatta was nominated by President Obama for a judgeship on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals back in January and was endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee three months later. Maine's two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, have strongly endorsed him. read full story

07/28/12 – Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn considers voting against his party to help an Oklahoman get confirmed to federal appeals court
Sen. Tom Coburn said Friday that he hadn’t decided whether he would vote against his party’s leadership Monday to help an Oklahoman get confirmed to federal appeals court. Coburn, R-Muskogee, strongly supports U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach’s nomination for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. And he said in June the custom of blocking judicial nominations in the last few months of a presidential election year is “stupid.” In an interview Friday, Coburn said Bacharach is “just a stellar candidate and he ought to get through.” But he said he would weigh over the weekend whether to do that over his party’s objections. read full story

07/27/12 – U.S. attorney scrutinized for federal judgeship
Felicia C. Adams, Mississippi’s first female U.S. attorney, is under consideration for a lifetime federal judgeship to replace W. Allen Pepper Jr., who died suddenly in January. Pepper held court in Greenville over the Delta and Greenville divisions. Only the president, with U.S. Senate approval, can fill a federal court vacancy. “She’s being reviewed by a 5th Circuit (Court of Appeals) selection committee,” said a person close to the process, speaking on condition of anonymity. read full story

07/27/12 – Senate Showdown Coming for Appellate Judicial Nominees
A showdown on the confirmation vote of a federal appellate judicial nominee, scheduled for Monday, could be a pivotal moment for how many appeals court bench spots the Senate will fill during the rest of this year. Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is forcing a vote Monday afternoon on Robert Bacharach, of Oklahoma, for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a nominee considered to be highly qualified and noncontroversial. The move is a direct challenge to Republicans who have leaked plans that they will block all circuit court judges for the rest of the presidential election year. But it is also Reid's only option for moving forward on the circuit court nominees this congressional session. read full story

07/27/12 – Senate Dems step up judicial wars
The two sides have grown increasingly frustrated at the tactics of the other to limit debate on the floor, an issue discussed at a Democratic lunch Thursday with scholars Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein, who have called for changes to filibuster rules. And after Republicans have accused Reid of taking unprecedented action to limit GOP amendments, Democrats want to push on the judicial issue to make their point that Republican filibusters have stalled action in the Senate. read full story

07/27/12 – U.S. Senate Democrats try to force vote on Oklahoma judicial nominee
Senate Democrats set out Thursday to break a Republican blockade and force a vote on the Oklahoma magistrate nominated for a seat on a federal appeals court. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made a procedural move Thursday afternoon that could force a vote on Robert E. Bacharach as early as Monday. Bacharach, a federal magistrate judge in Oklahoma City, has been nominated for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is one of the federal appellate courts a step below the U.S. Supreme Court. read full story

07/27/12 – Docket Is Full, but Judges Are Few
When federal District Judge Sam Sparks in early May set a trial date for Mike and Steve Yassine – the former Downtown club owners popped in March on money laundering and drug charges – there was one big question that needed answering: Could the lawyers get the entire trial over and done with in a week? If so, then Sparks could squeeze the Yassines in for the beginning of June. Otherwise he'd have to put the whole matter off until the beginning of October – and that's how it's turned out. The issue is that Sparks' schedule is packed solid, booked months in advance – a circumstance shared not only by his colleagues in Austin's federal courthouse, but across Texas and, in fact, the nation. read full story

07/26/12 – Senate Queues Up Test Vote On Judge Nominee
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has set the stage for a test vote on an appellate court nominee, putting him at odds with the GOP contention that the time for circuit court confirmations this year has passed. On Thursday, the Nevada Democrat filed cloture on the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach to be a U.S. circuit judge on the Denver-based 10th Circuit court, which covers six states, including Bacharach’s home state of Oklahoma. read full story

07/24/12 – Eighth Circuit Judge Michael Melloy to Take Senior Status in January
According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Judge Michael Melloy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit will take Senior Status on January 30, 2013.  President George W. Bush appointed Judge Melloy to an Iowa-based seat on the court in 2002.  The vacancy presents President Obama with his first opportunity to nominate someone to the Eighth Circuit. The court, which has 11 active judgeships, is the most Republican-dominated circuit in the country, with 9 Republican appointees and 2 Democratic appointees. read full story

07/24/12 – African-American federal judge Michael Shipp overwhelmingly confirmed by Senate
This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Shipp as Federal District court Judge for the District of New Jersey. The Senate confirmed Shipp with a nearly unanimous vote of 90-1. Judge Shipp was the first African-American to become magistrate in the same district five years ago. Prior to becoming magistrate, Shipp worked for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, as assistant attorney general in charge of consumer protection. read full story

07/23/12 – Amid More Partisan Squabbling, Senate Votes to Approve District Court Nominee
The Senate voted nearly unanimously Monday to confirm Michael Shipp to be a judge for the District of New Jersey, even though the vote became the focus of partisan bickering about control of the Senate floor. Shipp, former counsel to a New Jersey attorney general who became a magistrate in that district five years ago, was confirmed with a 91-1 vote. Both Republicans and Democrats supported Shipp, described on the Senate floor as "coming from humble beginnings” and having “strong qualifications and a reputation for excellence." read full story

07/23/12 – Senate confirms Paterson native as federal judge
The U.S. Senate confirmed Paterson native Michael A. Shipp this evening to the United States District Court in New Jersey. Shipp was nominated in January, and was confirmed after a 91-1 vote. “Not only does he bring a sincerity about wanting to do the right thing but he has the knowledge and sensitivity that will make him a great U.S. District Court judge,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said on the floor before the vote. read full story

07/23/12 – U.S. Senate confirms Shipp as federal district court judge
In a 91-1 vote today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Newark-based federal magistrate judge Michael A. Shipp to be the next federal district court judge in New Jersey. The confirmation of Shipp, who is expected to be sworn in within days, means all 17 spots in New Jersey for district court judges will soon be filled. Shipp replaces U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper, who became a senior judge on the federal bench last August. read full story

07/23/12 – Senate confirms NJ district judge
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Michael Shipp to be a U.S. district judge for the District of New Jersey. The 91-1 vote came after Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) endorsed Shipp as “highly qualified” for the position. “Judge Shipp has dedicated his career to our justice system and his life to public service,” Lautenberg said. “I have no doubt that he’ll continue his excellence in the U.S. district court.” read full story

07/23/12 – Senate Ends Rand Paul’s Hold-Up of Judicial Nominee, Confirming Him 91-1
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid succeeded in pushing through yet another noncontroversial judicial nominee Monday night, after filing the 29th motion to invoke cloture on a judicial nominee since President Obama took office. Senators never voted on the motion -- they agreed by unanimous consent to consider the nomination of Michael A. Shipp to the New Jersey federal district court and then voted overwhelmingly 91-1 to confirm him. But the fact that Reid’s cloture motion was even necessary is the latest evidence of the degraded process for confirming judicial nominees. read full story

07/23/12 – Conservative Ex-Judge Urges Vote on Appellate Nominee
A prominent former U.S. appeals court judge added his voice to those calling for the Senate to proceed to an up-or-down vote and confirm Magistrate Judge Robert Bacharach to the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Former Tenth Circuit Judge Michael McConnell, a constitutional scholar and conservative, told the Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune that he hoped the Senate would make an exception from a current freeze imposed by Republicans on confirming high-level judicial nominees. McConnell, director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, said an exception to the late presidential election year freeze typically is made for nominees with “an unusual degree of unanimous support.” read full story

07/19/12 – Senate Judiciary Committee approves nominees Mannion, Brann
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved two U.S. District Court judge nominees from Pennsylvania today, sending their nominations to the Senate floor for a final vote. Matthew Brann and Malachy Mannion, judicial nominees for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, were approved by voice vote after a June confirmation hearing. U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) spoke at their June confirmation hearing and congratulated the nominees after the vote. read full story

07/22/12 – Obama’s Judicial Nominees Face Slowed Confirmation Process
The numbers tell the story. If there is no agreement to hold a vote, it takes 60 votes to "invoke cloture" and vote up or down on a nominee. Only one of President Clinton's district court nominees faced sufficient stalling that a cloture vote was filed to force a vote. Similarly, during the George W. Bush administration, there was only one cloture petition filed to force a vote on a district court nominee.  But during the Obama administration, so far, there have been 21 cloture petitions filed to force votes on 21 district court judicial nominees. All of these nominees were subsequently confirmed, most of them with fewer than a half-dozen no votes. read full story

07/21/12 – Inaction on judges affecting Utah
While it has long been opposing party practice to stop the judicial nomination process in the spring preceding a presidential election, there is typically an exception for nominees with "an unusual degree of unanimous support," said Michael McConnell, director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center and a former 10th Circuit Court judge representing Utah. read full story

07/20/12 – Rand Paul Increases Pressure to Halt Pakistan Aid
Upping the ante in his bid to cut off U.S. aid to Pakistan, Sen. Rand Paul is holding up a vote on an unrelated and otherwise noncontroversial judicial nominee. Shipp’s nomination previously faced a delay as part of a disagreement between the White House and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) about a separate judicial nominee from New Jersey, local media outlets reported at the time. The Shipp nomination has faced minimal opposition. Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee was the lone lawmaker registering opposition at the Senate Judiciary Committee. read full story

07/20/12 – Oklahoma legal leaders urge Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe to seek vote on state’s judicial nominee
Leaders in Oklahoma’s legal community urged the state’s U.S. senators on Thursday to use their “considerable influence” to break a Republican blockade that is preventing a Senate vote on an Oklahoman nominated for a federal appeals court vacancy. A letter from attorneys who represent Oklahoma with the American Bar Association also urges Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe to announce publicly their willingness to vote on Robert E. Bacharach’s nomination to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

07/19/12 – No further roll call votes this week
Senators should expect the next vote to occur at approximately 5:30pm on Monday, July 23 in relation to Executive Calendar #663, the nomination of Michael A. Shipp, of New Jersey, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey. read full story

07/19/12 – Frank Geraci judicial nomination recommended to Senate
Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr. was recommended Thursday for a federal judgeship by the Senate Judiciary Committee — the latest step in a nomination that has progressed to date without controversy. But getting through the rest of the process could all come down to time. The committee voted on a group of district judgeships at the same time with all but one senator voting yes. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, voted against the judicial nominations. read full story

07/19/12 – U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Olguin Nomination
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved the nomination of Magistrate Judge Fernando M. Olguin to be U.S. district judge for the Central District of California. The nomination was approved on a voice vote, with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who votes against all of President Obama’s judicial nominees, asking to be recorded as voting no. Also approved, by similar votes, were district court nominees Frank Paul Geraci Jr., Western District of New York, and Malachy Edward Mannion and Matthew W. Brann, both of whom would serve in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. read full story

07/19/12 – Another California judicial nominee waiting for full Senate approval
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nominations of a judge from Azusa and the California brother of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer today. Both men will wait a long time to take on the new jobs. In an apparent agreement with the Republican minority individual votes will be spaced out, with a floor vote on a single nominee occurring each week. read full story

07/19/12 – Cloture filed on Shipp nomination
Senator Reid filed cloture on Executive Calendar #663, the nomination of Michael A. Shipp, of New Jersey, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey. By consent, the cloture vote will occur at 5:30pm on Monday, July 23. read full story

07/18/12 – Scant improvement for women’s representation on bench
The percentage of women state court judges inched up this year, according to data reported by the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society at the State University of New York-Albany.  At last count, women occupied 27.5 percent of state court judgeships, up slightly from 26.8 percent in 2011. By contrast, the percentage of women on the federal bench declined by 0.1 percent, to 24.1 percent.  Altogether, women comprised 27.1 percent of state and federal judges — an increase of 0.5 percent over 2011 and a 1.1 percent jump compared with 2010. read full story

07/18/12 – Top Senate Democrat, Republican point fingers over congressional dysfunction
For more than 40 minutes on the Senate floor this morning, Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) went back and forth in a very personal way over who was more responsible for dysfunction in the Senate. McConnell asked Reid to hold this exchange on the floor after Reid would consider changing the Senate rules in the next Congress -- with approval ratings at historic lows -- in order to pass more legislation with a simple majority versus the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The two leaders at times interrupted each other. read full story

07/16/12 – Senate approves Short Hills resident to be federal judge
With an overwhelming vote, the U.S. Senate on July 16 approved a township resident to become a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. McNulty was nominated to be a federal judge by President Barack Obama at the recommendation of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) last December. The Senate Judiciary Committee then had a hearing about McNulty's nomination in March, and approved it on April 19. The judiciary floor debate and vote took place this past Monday, July 16. read full story

07/16/12 – A Rare ‘Present’ Vote for Schumer
New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer cast a rare "present" vote Monday on a judicial nominee, as he did in a Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination. Schumer was not unsure of the merits of confirming Kevin McNulty as a U.S. District Court Judge in New Jersey. He voted present because McNulty is married to Schumer's sister Fran. read full story

07/16/12 – U.S. Senate approves N.J. attorney for federal bench
The U.S. Senate today overwhelmingly approved Newark-based attorney Kevin McNulty to be the newest federal judge in New Jersey. In a 91-3 vote in favor of McNulty on the Senate floor, the 57-year-old, who lives in Millburn, cleared the final hurdle to become a U.S. District Judge, and he is expected to be sworn in within days. read full story

07/16/12 – As Partisan Rancor Persists, Senate Votes to Confirm New Jersey Judicial Nominee
The Senate overwhelmingly voted today to confirm Kevin McNulty to be a judge for the District of New Jersey. Once again, the debate had more to do with the partisan politics of judicial confirmations than McNulty's qualifications to be a federal judge. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) both made floor speeches that mentioned support for McNulty, who was approved in a 91-3 vote. But they filled the balance of their speeches with statistics about how long nominees have waited for votes, and who is to blame for the high number of federal judicial vacancies. read full story

07/16/12 – Senate confirms NJ district judge
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Kevin McNulty to be a U.S. district judge for the District of New Jersey. The 91-3 vote came after the leading senators on the Judiciary Committee argued about whether Senate Republicans are obstructing the Obama administration’s attempt to fill vacancies across the country.Sen. Leahy (D-Vt.) said there are still 78 vacancies that need to be filled, but ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that was because judicial nominations take a long time to get out of committee. read full story

07/13/12 – Senate Judiciary Committee approves Okla. lawyer’s nomination to US attorney post
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of a Tulsa lawyer as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The Tulsa World reports the committee approved Danny Williams' nomination on a voice vote Thursday without discussion or objection. It's not known when the full Senate will consider the nomination. read full story

07/13/12 – Judiciary Committee Approves Bernal Nomination
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved the nomination of Jesus G. Bernal to be a U.S. district judge for the Central District of California. A spokesperson said the committee approved the nomination on a voice vote, although Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who votes against all of President Obama’s judicial nominees, asked to be recorded as voting no. Another Central District nominee, Magistrate Judge Fernando M. Olguin, was one of four whose nominations were held over. The four were all on the committee’s executive business calendar for the first time, while Bernal and two others approved yesterday had been previously held over. read full story

07/12/12 – Senate Committee Approves Three Federal District Court Nominees
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved three judicial nominations today for district court spots in Michigan, California and New York. A voice vote was nearly unanimous for the three non-controversial nominees: Terrence Berg for the Eastern District of Michigan, Jesus Bernal for the Central District of California and Lorna Schofield for the Southern District of New York, who could become the first Filipino-American to serve as federal judge. read full story

07/12/12 – 2 Bay Area judge nominees questioned
During their first Senate confirmation hearing, Bay Area federal court nominees Jon Tigar and William Orrick III fended off a Republican's suggestions that they were liberal activists. Tigar, 49, an Alameda County Superior Court judge, and Orrick, 59, a Justice Department attorney and son of the late U.S. District Judge William Orrick, were nominated by President Obama on June 11 to the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, which has three vacancies among its 14 authorized judgeships. Both nominees were questioned by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who cited Tigar's affiliation with the liberal American Constitution Society. read full story

07/12/12 – CONGRESS: Panel approves Bernal for Riverside federal judgeship
A son of factory workers who went on to graduate from Yale University and Stanford law School won approval from a Senate Panel to serve as a judge on the federal bench in Riverside. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of Jesus Bernal’s nomination during a meeting of the panel Thursday, July 12. If confirmed by the full Senate, he would become the only Hispanic district court judge U.S. District Court's Central District of California’s eastern division. read full story

07/12/12 – Jesus Bernal, Riverside attorney, clears hurdle for federal bench
Riverside is one step closer to getting a new federal judge: The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the nomination of Jesus Bernal. Answering questions at his confirmation hearing, Bernal told the Judiciary Committee a judge should show dignity and respect, but empathy has no role in the judicial process. What determines who wins or loses, he said, "is the law and the facts as applied to the law." read full story

07/12/12 – President Obama Nominates Mark A. Barnett to Serve on the U.S. Court of International Trade
Today, President Obama nominated Mark A. Barnett to serve on the United States Court of International Trade. “I am proud to nominate this outstanding candidate to serve on the United States Court of International Trade,” said President Obama. “Mr. Barnett has a long and distinguished record of service, and I am confident he will serve on the court with distinction.” read full story

07/11/12 – McConnell Signals He’d Retain Filibuster Rules as Majority Leader
While top Senate Democrats have threatened to curb the use of filibusters, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he would protect the minority’s ability to block legislation if Republicans take control of the chamber next January. The Kentucky Republican took that position during a private dinner July 10 for members of the Rules and Administration Committee, a panel that considers Senate rules and procedures. Two senators who attended the event in a dining room off the Senate floor said McConnell made it clear that he wants to retain current filibuster rules regardless of the outcome of the November elections. read full story

07/11/12 – Bay Area judicial nominees get Senate hearing
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing today for two Bay Area nominees to the federal bench. President Obama just one month ago nominated Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar and Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General William Orrick III to the U.S. District Court for California’s Northern District. read full story

07/11/12 – Judge Frank Geraci Jr. nomination moves closer to committee vote
The nomination of Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr. to serve as federal district court judge is moving closer to a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The committee has put Geraci’s name on its calendar of nominations for consideration Thursday.  Typically, nominees are not voted on the first time they are on the calendar, but it puts Geraci in line for a possible vote when the committee holds an executive session later this month. read full story

07/10/12 – City Council Demands Senate Action on Federal Judicial Vacancies
Pittsburgh City Council is calling on the U.S. Senate to fill a multitude of vacancies in the federal court system, particularly eight open seats on Pennsylvania’s bench. In a Will of Council document, Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak called on Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) to put pressure on party leadership for a vote on the dozens of judicial nominees awaiting Senate approval. Many of the open positions have been vacant since 2009. According to Rudiak, the judicial vacancies cause long delays in civil cases, leading many plaintiffs into “inadequate” settlements. read full story

07/10/12 – John Fowlkes confirmed as federal judge for West Tennessee
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Memphis Criminal Court Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., to fill the vacant federal judgeship in the Western District of Tennessee. The confirmation vote was 94-2. Reached minutes after the lengthy vote he watched on television, Fowlkes, 61, agreed the overwhelming support was a vote of confidence in him. “It really is an honor to be nominated and accept the position,” he said. “It’s kind of bittersweet because I have so many friends and colleagues here” in the Shelby County Courthouse. read full story

07/10/12 – US Senate Confirms Fowlkes Appointment
The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of John Fowlkes Jr. as the newest U.S. District Court Judge for Western Tennessee. The 94-2 Senate floor vote Tuesday, July 10, included aye votes from Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, Mississippi Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker and Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman. Fowlkes, a Shelby County Criminal Court Judge, was nominated in December by President Barack Obama on the recommendation of U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis. read full story

07/10/12 – Filling Utah judgeship now deemed an ‘emergency’
Court officials have designated a vacant federal judge seat in Utah as a "judicial emergency," a red-flag warning to the Senate that the spot needs to be filled immediately. But the nominee awaiting confirmation, Robert Shelby, remains stuck in limbo amid partisan gridlock, and it’s unclear whether the Senate will approve him before its August recess. read full story

07/10/12 – Senate confirms district judge for western Tennessee
John Thomas Fowlkes was confirmed by the Senate to serve as U.S. district judge for the Western District of Tennessee on Tuesday. The vote was 94 to 2. Ahead of the vote, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), alongside Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged the Senate to cleanly confirm Fowlkes. read full story

07/10/12 – Poll: Obama Trusted Over Romney On High Court Appointments
President Barack Obama is trusted over Mitt Romney when it comes to appointing Justices to the Supreme Court, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll. The poll found that 48 percent replied that they think Obama would do a better job appointing Justices while 37 percent said the same about Romney. Among registered voters, Obama still came ahead via a slightly smaller 48-40 percent margin. The results are predictably partisan. read full story

07/09/12 – Federal judge nominee Troy Nunley works his way up
For Troy Nunley, President Obama's newest nominee for a federal judgeship in Northern California, life has gone from rags to robes - from the rough neighborhoods of San Francisco's Hunters Point to a seat on the bench. After 11 years as a lawyer - three each as a prosecutor in Alameda and Sacramento counties, two in private practice in San Leandro and three in the state attorney general's office - he was appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. Gray Davis in 2002. On the bench, the ex-prosecutor has won good reviews from defense lawyers as well as prosecutors. read full story

07/09/12 – Senate Urged to Vote on two Appellate Court Nominees
Republican senators should lift a presidential election-year political “blockade” and allow up-or-down votes on two well-qualified nominees for the appellate bench, one from Oklahoma and one from Maine, an Oklahoma attorney says. Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webber argues in a Tulsa World op-ed that Oklahoma’s Republican senators, Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, ought to mirror the actions of fellow Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, who have advocated a Senate vote on a judicial nominee. read full story

06/29/12 – Senate Committee Puts Off Vote on Bernal Nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee did not hold a scheduled vote yesterday on President Obama’s nominee to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The committee wrote on its website that the votes on Deputy Federal Public Defender Jesus G. Bernal and two other judicial nominees had to be put off because the committee lacked a quorum. No new date was given for the vote. Bernal, directing attorney of the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Riverside, has been a deputy federal public defender in the district since 1996. The 48-year-old nominee worked in the Los Angeles office until 2006, when he took up his present position in Riverside. read full story

06/28/12 – Judiciary committee hears from two Pennsylvania nominees for federal bench
U.S. Magistrate Judge Malachy E. Mannion, a Scott Twp. resident, and Bradford County attorney Matthew W. Brann were nominated by President Barack Obama in May. Both are supported by U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, who spoke in favor of the men and praised their professional excellence and integrity at the hearing, which was held in Washington, D.C., and broadcast online. Mr. Brann, who is active in Republican politics in Pennsylvania, faced the most challenging questioning of the hourlong hearing at which five candidates for federal judgeships and a spot on the U.S. Sentencing Commission were considered. Citing Mr. Brann's involvement with the state Republican Party, the National Rifle Association and the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, called him "probably the most Republican judicial nominee from the Obama White House." read full story

06/27/12 – Geraci nomination could be delayed by legislative calendar, election
Timing, not qualification, is likely to be the biggest problem for Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr., as he seeks to become a federal district court judge. Geraci was given a glowing introduction from New York Sen. Chuck Schumer as he appeared at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, to have his nomination for a seat in the Western District of New York reviewed. But while the hearing appeared smooth, there is concern over how quickly his nomination would move to the Senate if approved by the committee. read full story

06/27/12 – Lee ready to deal on his judicial protest
Sen. Mike Lee is ready to end his lone wolf protest against President Barack Obama’s nominees, but only if Democrats will delay confirmation votes on appellate judges until after the election. Lee, a freshman Republican from Utah, has voted against every one of Obama’s nominees this year, a retaliatory move launched in January after the president made recess appointments while the Senate considered itself in session. His protest hasn’t gone the way he planned. read full story

06/27/12 – GOP Senators Question Bar Association’s Objectivity, Noting Its ‘Selective Advocacy’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Charles E. Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, questioned the American Bar Association’s “objectivity and neutrality” Wednesday after the legal group urged the Senate to confirm three nominees for federal appellate court judgeships. In a letter to ABA President William T. Robinson III, the two senators condemned the organization for pushing for the confirmation of specific appellate court nominees relatively late into an election year, something it did not do at a comparable time during the George W. Bush administration. read full story

06/26/12 – Geraci’s Senate hearing set for Wednesday
A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for the Senate Committee on the Judiciary to consider the nomination of Monroe County Court Judge Frank P. Geraci for a federal judgeship to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Judge Geraci’s nomination is one of several on the agenda. He is being considered for a seat held by Judge David G. Larimer who has been on senior status since March 2009. read full story

06/26/12 – Committee Sets Vote Thursday on Bernal Nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote Thursday on President Obama’s nominee to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. A schedule released Friday shows that Deputy Federal Public Defender Jesus G. Bernal is one of three judicial nominees whose votes have been scheduled by the committee chair, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. read full story

06/26/12 – Senate confirms judge for Florida Southern District
The Senate confirmed Robin S. Rosenbaum as United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday. The vote was 92-3. Rosenbaum had previously served as a Florida magistrate judge. Ahead of the vote on Rosenbaum, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) noted the strong support Rosenbaum had from both him and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). read full story

06/26/12 – Robin Rosenbaum confirmed as federal judge in South Florida
Robin S. Rosenbaum was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Tuesday as South Florida’s newest federal judge. Rosenbaum, nominated in late November by President Barack Obama, replaces U.S. District Judge Alan S. Gold in Miami. Rosenbaum will join two other newcomers to South Florida’s federal bench, Kathleen Williams and Robert N. Scola Jr. read full story

06/26/12 – ABA president urges Congress to fill federal benches
In his letter to congressional leaders (including Leahy), Robinson noted that in the past three election years, the Senate had confirmed judicial nominees well into June and July. This year’s Republican blockade began with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement on June 13. President Obama has thus far made 126 judicial appointments, 68 less than in Clinton’s first term and 202 shy of George W. Bush’s total in eight years. read full story

06/25/12 – Geraci confirmation hearing Wednesday
Monroe County Court Judge Frank Geraci Jr. faces the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Wednesday as the panel considers his nomination to serve as a federal district court judge based in Rochester. So far, Geraci’s nomination has moved without controversy. A substantial majority of the American Bar Association’s rating committee ruled that he was “well qualified” to serve as a federal judge. Past nominees have been grilled on passages in articles published in legal journals and speeches made at conventions. read full story

06/25/12 – Judge Troy L. Nunley nominated for Eastern District
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Troy L. Nunley was nominated by the White House on Monday to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of California. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein recommended that Nunley be appointed, under an arrangment by which she and Sen. Barbara Boxer trade off making recommendations to the White House. "The Eastern District of California manages a caseload more than twice the national average and is by far the busiest federal district court in the nation. It is especially important the Senate move quickly to consider Judge Nunley's nomination," Feinstein said in a statement. read full story

06/25/12 – Federal Prosecutor Nominated for District Court Bench
President Obama on Monday nominated Katherine Polk Failla, the chief of the criminal appeals unit in the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, to the Federal District Court in Manhattan. Ms. Failla, 43, has led the criminal appeals unit for four years; previously, she had been the unit’s deputy chief, a White House release said. The unit handles appeals from the office’s criminal trials, including financial fraud, terrorism and other crimes. read full story

06/25/12 – Obama nominates judge from Fort Myers
President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Magistrate Sheri Polster Chappell to a judgeship in Florida's Middle District. Obama made the appointment Monday. It is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Chappell is a magistrate in the Middle District's Fort Myers Division. She was a Lee County judge from 2000 through 2003 when she joined the federal bench. read full story

06/25/12 – Obama Nominates Three to Fill Federal District Court Vacancies
President Barack Obama announced the nominations of three lawyers today for federal district court spots in New York, California and Florida. Katherine Polk Failla, a nominee for the Southern District of New York, has been an assistant U.S. attorney in that district since 2000. Troy Nunley, a nominee for the Eastern District of California, has been a judge on the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2002. Sheri Polster Chappell, a nominee for the Middle District of Florida, has been a magistrate in the district since 2003. read full story

06/25/12 – President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the US District Court
Today, President Obama nominated Judge Sheri Polster Chappell, Katherine Polk Failla and Judge Troy L. Nunley to serve on the United States District Court. “I am pleased to nominate these distinguished individuals to serve on the United States District Court bench,” said President Obama. “I am confident they will serve the American people with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice.” read full story

06/22/12 – Hearing on judicial nominees including Mannion set for June 27
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on Malachy Mannion and Matthew Brann to be U.S. District judges for the Middle District of Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 27. U.S. Senators Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, will speak in support of Brann and Mannion at the hearing. The senators supported these nominations when they were announced by the White House in May. read full story

06/21/12 – A year later, Marquez nomination to U.S. district court judgeship has stalled
President Barack Obama nominated Rosemary Marquez to a judgeship on the U.S. District Court for Arizona on June 23, 2011. One year later, the nomination has not moved an inch. Despite a “dire” need for judges on the overworked district court, Marquez has yet to have a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled, even as others nominated with her, and since, have moved all the way through the process to Senate approval. read full story

06/21/12 – Chuck Grassley, Marco Rubio at Odds Over Judge
Senate Judiciary ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) once again came out against a federal judicial nomination backed a Republican today, this time putting himself at odds with Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.). “Senator Rubio supports moving forward with the nomination of Judge Brian Davis,” Grassley said in a statement. “While I generally give great consideration to support from the home state Senators, in this case I cannot support the nomination. After carefully reviewing Judge Davis’ record, I have concluded that Judge Davis views the world through a lens that I think is inappropriate and unacceptable for a federal court judge.” read full story

06/21/12 – ABA Urges Senate to Vote on Appellate Judicial Nominees
The American Bar Association sent a letter to Senate leaders yesterday expressing a "grave concern" for the high number of longstanding federal judicial vacancies. The group urged floor votes on three noncontroversial appellate court nominees this month. Alluding to reports that Republicans plan to block all U.S. circuit court nominees for the rest of the election year, ABA President William Robinson III also urged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to work together on district court judges "lest the vacancy crisis worsens in the waning months of the 112th Congress." read full story

06/21/12 – Oldest serving federal judge dies at 99 in California
Senior U.S. District Judge Robert J. Kelleher, the oldest serving federal judge in the nation and once an important figure in U.S. tennis, has died at the age of 99 in his Los Angeles home. Announcement of Kelleher's death Wednesday came from Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins of the Central District of California who called him ''a great judge and a dear friend.'' read full story

06/20/12 – ABA Urges Senate Action to Confirm Nominees to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
The American Bar Association has sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressing concerns that the judicial-confirmation process is about to fall victim to presidential election-year politics because of the “Thurmond Rule,” in which the Senate ceases to vote on nominees to the federal circuit court of appeals. There has been no consistent date in which this has occurred, but the ABA letter noted that during the past three election years, the last circuit-court nominees were confirmed in June during 2004 and 2008 and in July during 2000. read full story

06/19/12 – Helmick sworn in as federal judge
During a small ceremony before family, friends, and courthouse staff, Toledo lawyer Jeff Helmick was sworn in Monday as a judge for the Northern District of Ohio in U.S. District Court. Judge Helmick's oath of office was administered by Judge James Carr, who went on senior status in 2010. Judge Carr also presented his successor with a gavel. The ceremony was nearly two years after Judge Helmick was recommended for the post. Noting the difficult months waiting for word, Judge Helmick thanked members of his family and all those who offered support during that time. read full story

06/19/12 – Senate confirms nominee for District Judge in South Carolina
The Senate confirmed Mary Lewis to be U.S. District Judge for South Carolina. The vote on Monday was 64 to 27. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, used the debate period over Lewis's confirmation to criticize Republicans for recently reportedly invoking a blockade of upcoming judicial nominees commonly referred to as the "Thurmond Rule." read full story

06/19/12 – Senate confirms Columbia lawyer
The Senate easily confirmed Columbia attorney Mary Geiger Lewis as a federal district judge Monday evening in a rare bipartisan victory for President Barack Obama. Lewis, 53, picked up 14 Republican senators, among them Sen. Lindsey Graham, in the 64-27 confirmation vote. Sen. Jim DeMint was among 27 GOP senators who opposed her. House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, a Columbia Democrat, had recommended Lewis to Obama. read full story

06/19/12 – Votes on Judges Could Put GOP in Tough Spot
With the Senate GOP vowing to halt some judge confirmations until after the elections, Senate Democratic leaders see an opportunity to put Republicans in a tough spot by continuing to bring up circuit court nominees, possibly ones who have already received the support of GOP Senators. Depending on how Republicans react, Democrats say they can paint the minority as obstructionist or shame them into confirming additional nominations. read full story

06/15/12 – Key changes to the Utah federal court judiciary team
Salt Lake City's new federal courthouse is quickly taking shape and taking its place as a striking addition to the city's growing skyline. The new building may or may not have revolving doors, but the judiciary it will soon house has recently seen a significant entrance and exit of key personnel. A longtime and extremely well-respected magistrate judge has retired, just as the district's newest federal judge has taken the oath of office. read full story

06/15/12 – Robert Bacharach’s Tenth Circuit Nomination Held Up in Senate
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach has support from his home state senators and a "unanimously well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association, but he doesn't have enough Republican support in the Senate to be confirmed for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals before November, reports The Oklahoman. President Obama nominated Judge Bacharach to fill Judge Robert Henry's vacancy on the Tenth Circuit in January. At the time, Oklahoma's senators, Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, expressed their support for Bacharach's nomination. Sen. Inhofe told The Oklahoman, "I like the guy ... it's not very often the White House and I agree on anything." read full story

06/15/12 – Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe Won’t Abide By ‘Thurmond Rule’
Senate GOP leaders might be trying to enforce a partisan blockade of President Barack Obama’s circuit court nominees, but the message apparently hasn’t fully sunk in yet. Maine’s GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins told the Falmouth, Maine, Forecaster newspaper today that they won’t abide by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) edict that bipartisan cooperation on circuit court judges is done for the year — at least when it comes to Obama’s pick of William Kayatta Jr. for the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. read full story

06/15/12 – Judicial confirmation for U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose could remain on hold due to GOP filibuster
It’s unclear whether a vote for federal judicial nominee, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose, will be delayed after this week’s GOP filibuster to freeze appellate court judicial confirmations. University of Richmond School of Law Prof. Carl Tobias, a federal courts expert, said Friday the “Thurmond Rule” invoked Wednesday by Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell only pertains to the circuit court confirmations, which will not a get a vote until after the November election, but it could affect the other confirmations. “I’m still hopeful the others will continue (to get a vote),” Tobias said. “It could possibly accelerate the process for district nominees like Rose. Her vote hasn’t been pending long and there are only five ahead of her.” read full story

06/15/12 – Snowe, Collins seek floor vote on nomination of Maine lawyer to 1st Circuit Court of Appeals
Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine are pressing for a floor vote on the nomination of a Maine lawyer to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals that’s being blocked by GOP leadership. President Barack Obama’s nomination of William Kayatta Jr. has been held up by a moratorium on confirmation of appellate judges that often happens in presidential election years. read full story

06/15/12 – U.S. Senate Republicans’ maneuver may block Cape Elizabeth attorney’s appointment to bench
Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins last Friday urged bipartisan cooperation to ensure a U.S. Senate vote this year on the nomination of a Cape Elizabeth lawyer to the federal bench. The nomination of William Kayatta Jr. to the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston is threatened by a blocking manuever used by minority parties in presidential election years. read full story

06/15/12 – Senate Republicans to block vote on Oklahoma nominee for federal appeals court
Senate Republicans won’t allow a vote before November’s presidential election to confirm U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach to a federal appeals court, despite Bacharach’s credentials and support from both Oklahoma senators, Sen. Tom Coburn said Thursday. Coburn, R-Muskogee, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told him Republicans were following a tradition used by both parties to block votes on circuit court nominees a few months before a presidential election. read full story

06/14/12 – GOP blocks judicial nominees in Senate
Senate Republicans will block all of President Barack Obama’s high-level judicial nominees until after the election— a move that would also thwart an ally of a rising GOP star, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. In keeping with a long-running practice employed by a Senate minority in an election year, Republicans will prevent Obama’s appeals court nominees from winning lifetime confirmations on the federal bench until after the November elections. The move would delay four nominees who were already approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Patty Shwartz, whom Christie strongly backed for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. read full story

06/14/12 – Grassley defends GOP decision to block circuit court nominees
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday defended the Senate Republican decision to block all circuit court judicial nominees until after the November elections. Grassley called it the "Thurmond-Leahy" rule, after former Sen. Strom Thurmond and current Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). He also rejected the idea that Republicans should not invoke this rule because they have not confirmed enough judicial nominations for the Obama administration. read full story

06/14/12 – Senate GOP signals halt on circuit judge nominees
Senate Republicans have signaled that they will block further votes on White House nominations for some top federal courts until after the November presidential election, a move Democrats decry as partisan obstructionism that will strain a judicial system already suffering a backlog of vacancies. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, has decided to essentially shut down the voting process for pending or future circuit court judge nominations in the hope that GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney will win the White House and appoint his own candidates. read full story

06/14/12 – Patrick Leahy Vows to Keep Pushing Judicial Nominees
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today said he would continue to try confirming President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees, despite a Senate GOP leadership decision to block all circuit court nominations until after the November elections. “This shutdown is consistent with what the partisan Senate Republican leadership did in 1996 and again at the end of President Clinton’s presidency, and can be contrasted with how Democrats acted in 1992, 2004 and 2008,” Leahy said in a statement. He added that the move puts Republicans who have publicly pledged to oppose judicial filibusters in all but “extraordinary circumstances“ as well as GOP Senators who have already signed off on some nominees in a difficult spot. read full story

06/14/12 – GOP Begins Judge Blockade
With less than four and a half months until Election Day, Senate Republicans are shutting off the bipartisan spigot when it comes to confirming President Barack Obama’s nominees to the nation’s top courts and will present a unified front against his circuit court picks through November. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) made the decision to blockade nominations official Wednesday when he informed his colleagues that he would invoke the “Thurmond Rule” from now until after the elections. read full story

06/14/12 – GOP to Block Obama’s Judicial Nominees Until Election
Senate Republicans will invoke the “Thurmond Rule” and block all of President Barack Obama’s nominees to the nation’s federal bench until after the November elections. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told colleagues of his decision on Wednesday after a meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and other top GOP leaders during the weekly Steering Committee luncheon for conservatives. The decision comes less than four and a half months until Election Day, Nov. 6. read full story

06/13/12 – Senate confirms Ariz. SC justice to Ninth Circuit
Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Hurwitz was confirmed to a federal appeals court Tuesday. The Senate confirmed Hurwitz's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by voice vote, instead of a roll call. Cloture to end debate on the justice's nomination was invoked Monday by a vote of 60-31. read full story

06/12/12 – Sen. Grassley demands re-vote on 9th Circuit judge nomination
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) late Tuesday demanded that the Senate vote again on the confirmation of Andrew Hurwitz to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the 9th Circuit, and said he was not aware that Senate Democrats were planning to ask for a speedy voice vote on the nomination. Grassley spoke a few hours after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked that all debate time be yielded back, and that Hurwitz be approved by unanimous consent. No objection was raised, and Hurwitz was quickly approved by voice vote. A furious Grassley spoke just before 6 p.m., and said he was not told that this might occur, that he had intended to speak more on the nomination, and that he wanted a roll call vote. read full story

06/12/12 – Grassley Chides Kyl in Dispute Over Judge
Grassley faulted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for moving to a voice vote rather than holding a planned roll call vote on Hurwitz. But Grassley’s gripe seemed to lie largely with members of his own party who agreed to the switch, particularly Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who managed the nomination. Kyl supported confirmation of Hurwitz, who sat on the Arizona Supreme Court. Reid could not have cut off debate without agreement from a Republican on the floor. read full story

06/12/12 – Senate confirms Arizona jurist to 9th Circuit
An Arizona Supreme Court justice was confirmed as a U.S. appellate judge Tuesday, despite complaints from conservatives that he influenced the Roe v. Wade ruling while a law clerk four decades ago. The Senate confirmed Andrew David Hurwitz by voice vote, elevating him to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals serving Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, California and, Arizona. read full story

06/12/12 – Grassley Wants Roll Call Vote on Already-Confirmed Ninth Circuit Nominee
If yesterday's voice vote confirmation of Andrew Hurwitz to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seemed a bit too easy, that's because it was. At least according to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who took the Senate floor late Tuesday to say he expected a roll call vote on the somewhat controversial judicial nominee. read full story

06/12/12 – Senate approves Hurwitz for federal circuit court seat without debate
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Hurwitz’s appointment to a vacant seat on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The voice-vote approval came less than 24 hours after Senate Republicans threatened to block Hurwitz’s appointment over concerns about his role, as a law clerk, in an abortion-rights decision written nearly 40 years ago. But after more than an hour of debate and a vote to cut off debate Monday, the actual vote Tuesday was made without comment and without opposition. read full story

06/12/12 – Senator Scott Brown votes to confirm controversial Arizona judge to US Circuit Court
Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts joined Democrats and several within his own party on Tuesday to confirm an Arizona judge to the Ninth Circuit Court, one day after the Massachusetts Republican provided one of eight GOP votes to advance the nomination despite objections from conservatives who sought to block it. Brown’s vote on Monday night helped provide the 60 votes needed to close debate and prevent a filibuster by Senate conservatives worried that David Hurwitz, who currently sits on the Arizona Supreme Court, would be an “activist” judge. read full story

06/12/12 – Senate confirms Arizona Justice Andrew Hurwitz to 9th Circuit
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Hurwitz to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hurwitz will remain in Phoenix though the 9th Circuit is located in San Francisco. His confirmation came after a heated debate over whether Hurwitz is too liberal to serve on the court, with Republican senators accusing him of being an abortion-rights proponent because he clerked for a federal judge who threw out an anti-abortion law in 1972. In 2003, they complained, Hurwitz wrote an article about that ruling, characterizing it as a precursor to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. read full story

06/12/12 – Adalberto Jordan to be invested
It's today at 3:30 at the Wilkie Ferguson Jr. Courthouse and it's going to be packed. I hear there are at least 3 overflow courtrooms set up. How big will his Supreme Court investiture be? read full story

06/12/12 – Senators Seek Applicants to Fill Upcoming Vacancy on U.S. District Court
On June 12, 2012, the Honorable Bruce D. Black announced his intention to retire from the federal bench after 17 years of distinguished service. Chief Judge Black's retirement, effective October 1, 2012, will create a vacancy in Las Cruces, New Mexico for a U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico. In accordance with their constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with respect to federal judges, Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall will submit recommendations to the President regarding qualified candidates for the position. read full story

06/12/12 – Obama nominates two for key appeals court
It’s extremely unlikely that either nominee will be confirmed this year. Judicial confirmations wind down in the summer, especially for appeals court nominees — and most especially during an election year. The White House’s move Monday was generally seen as an effort to move Halligan and Srinivasan through Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and tee them up for an early confirmation should Obama win reelection. read full story

06/11/12 – Two Bay Area federal judge nominees named
The White House on Monday moved to name two more judges to the Bay Area federal bench, nominating an Alameda County judge and a top U.S. Justice Department lawyer for the lifetime appointments. Backed by recommendations from Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, the Obama administration nominated Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Tigar and Deputy Assistant Attorney General William Orrick III to open spots in San Francisco and Oakland. The Senate must still confirm Tigar and Orrick, which may not come easily at this stage in a presidential election year. Federal judge nominations often bog down in the summer preceding elections, but President Barack Obama continues to press forward with trying to put his stamp on the judiciary. read full story

– Sen. Kyl on Confirmation of Andrew Hurwitz
Sen. Kyl on Confirmation of Andrew Hurwitz read full story

06/11/12 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US District Court
Today, President Obama nominated Judge Jon S. Tigar and William H. Orrick, III to serve on the United States District Court. “I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said. “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Court.” read full story

06/11/12 – Despite odds, Obama nominates two for key U.S. appeals court
Undeterred by the odds against him, President Barack Obama on Monday nominated two prominent lawyers to a Washington court that handles disputes over federal policy and is regarded as a launching pad for U.S. Supreme Court justices. With tensions running high between the Democratic administration and Senate Republicans and Obama nearing the end of his current term, the chances that either will be confirmed in 2012 are slim, amid the turmoil of November's elections. read full story

06/11/12 – POTUS Nominates Former New York State Solicitor General Caitlin Halligan To Federal Bench
President Obama has nominated Caitlin Halligan of the Manhattan District Attorney's office, a former New York State solicitor general, to the federal bench. Halligan is currently general counsel for the New York County DA's office. In what turned into a nasty partisan episode about the use of the filibuster, Senate Republicans last December blocked Obama's nomination of Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the seat for which he is recommending her again. read full story

06/11/12 – President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Today, President Obama will nominate Caitlin Halligan and Srikanth Srinivasan to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience, intellect, and integrity to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,” President Obama said. “This important court is often called the Nation’s second-highest court, and it stands more than a quarter vacant. I remain deeply disappointed that a minority of the United States Senate blocked Ms. Halligan’s nomination last year and urge her reconsideration, especially given her broad bipartisan support from the legal and law enforcement communities. Mr. Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and, like Ms. Halligan, will serve the court with distinction and excellence.” read full story

06/11/12 – Obama Nominates Two to Appeals Court
President Obama on Monday nominated two lawyers to fill vacancies on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a powerful panel to which he has so far been unable to appoint anyone since taking office. While it is unlikely that either will receive a Senate floor vote in 2012 – the judicial confirmation process shuts down as a presidential election nears – the move signals that Mr. Obama has not given up on Ms. Halligan, and raises the possibility that Mr. Srinivasan could at least have a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing before the end of the year, increasing his chances of getting through the process in 2013 if Mr. Obama is re-elected. read full story

06/11/12 – One federal judge on way to confirmation, two more nominated
Ever so slowly, the logjam continues to break on California's federal judges. The U.S. Senate today barely reached the 60 votes needed to cut off debate on the nomination of Andrew Hurwitz for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco. The final confirmation vote on Hurwitz, now a justice on the Arizona Supreme Court, is expected Tuesday morning. UPDATE: Hurwitz was confirmed on a voice vote. Also today, President Barack Obama announced he has put forward two more nominations for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. read full story

06/11/12 – Obama re-nominates NY lawyer to top federal appeals court seat
In a move sure to please the political left, President Obama on Monday re-nominated a New York lawyer to a prestigious seat on a federal appeals court, ensuring an election-year fight with Republicans over judges. Caitlin Halligan was one of two nominees named by the President to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, seen by many as a professional stepping stone to the Supreme Court. read full story

06/10/12 – Firm’s niche: Lobbying for federal judges
A year ago, when then-Berkeley Law professor Goodwin Liu was the subject of a contentious Senate battle over his nomination to the federal appeals court in San Francisco, D.C. lobbyist Vincent Eng was busy handing out 1,800 campaign pins that said, “Good Win Good,” and bumper stickers that read, “Goodwin! www.confirmnow.org.” Liu later withdrew his name after Senate Republicans filibustered his nomination — he is now an associate justice on the California Supreme Court — but Eng’s work getting Liu’s name and qualifications before senators and the public got him noticed in the close-knit community of advocates, legal scholars and attorneys pushing for more diversity among the nation’s federal judges. read full story

06/08/12 – Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn says GOP may block appellate nominee from Oklahoma City
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday cleared two Oklahoma federal judicial nominees for a full Senate vote, but Sen. Tom Coburn said presidential politics could prevent the Senate from confirming both this year. “I think it’s stupid,” Coburn said in an interview, adding that the goal should be to confirm good judges. Coburn said he told Bacharach personally that he might not get through the Senate confirmation process this year. read full story

06/08/12 – Democrats Push for Vote on Ninth Circuit Nominee Hurwitz
Hurwitz’s confirmation, following the earlier confirmations of two judges from Los Angeles, Paul Watford and Jacqueline Nguyen, as well as Judge Morgan Christen of Alaska, would give the nation’s largest appellate court 28 active judges, leaving only one vacancy, with no nominees pending. Opposition to Hurwitz has centered on his onetime clerkship for Judge Jon Newman on the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. While Hurwitz was clerking for him, Newman wrote an opinion striking down Connecticut’s abortion law, a year before the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. read full story

06/08/12 – Senate Gears up for Fight Over Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominee
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wants to force a vote on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit nominee Andrew Hurwitz early next week, setting up a potential fight with some Republicans who oppose him because of his history with Roe v. Wade. Both of Hurwitz's home-state senators, Arizona Republican Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, support his confirmation. But there are others who say a law review article he authored in 2002 shows that he helped create and still admires the legal framework for the controversial abortion decision. read full story

06/07/12 – Approval Rating for Justices Hits Just 44% in New Poll
The court’s standing with the public has slipped significantly in the past quarter-century, according to surveys conducted by several polling organizations. The decline in the court’s standing may stem in part from Americans’ growing distrust in recent years of major institutions in general and the government in particular. But it also could reflect a sense that the court is more political, after the ideologically divided 5-to-4 decisions in Bush v. Gore, which determined the 2000 presidential election, and Citizens United, the 2010 decision allowing unlimited campaign spending by corporations and unions. read full story

06/07/12 – Senate confirms federal judge
The U.S. Senate voted 62-36 Wednesday to confirm Toledo attorney Jeffrey Helmick to the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio. Sixty votes were required for confirmation. President Obama nominated Helmick in May 2011 on a recommendation by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and then-Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. Brown and 50 other Democrats, seven Republicans and two independents voted to confirm Helmick, a criminal defense attorney, to the Toledo-based court. GOP supporters included Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana and Rob Portman of Ohio. read full story

06/07/12 – Senate gives nod to Toledo lawyer: Helmick succeeds Judge James Carr in U.S. District Court
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to approve Toledo defense lawyer Jeffrey Helmick as a U.S. District Court judge, more than a year after he was nominated by President Obama. The 62-36 vote came after a debate in which a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized Mr. Helmick over an ethics case that went to the Ohio Supreme Court and for his representation of accused terrorist Wassim Mazloum in 2009. read full story

06/07/12 – Cloture filed on Hurwitz nomination
Senator Reid filed cloture on the nomination of Executive Calendar #607, the nomination of Andrew Hurwitz, of Arizona, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. At 4:30pm, Monday, June 11th, there will be up to 60 minutes of debate on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination with the time equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees. read full story

06/07/12 – Reid: Bet on filibuster changes if Obama, Dems win in November
A frustrated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he and other Democrats would likely push for changes to Senate filibuster rules if the Democrats hold the Senate in November, and blamed Republican obstructionism for forcing these changes. "We can no longer go through this, every bill, filibusters on bills that they agree with. It's just a waste of time to prevent us from getting things done," Reid said. read full story

06/06/12 – Senate confirms defense attorney for Northern District Court of Ohio
The Senate confirmed Jeffrey J. Helmick for the Northern District Court of Ohio on Wednesday. The vote was 62 to 36. Ahead of the vote, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who recommended Helmick, noted that Helmick's nomination had been pending for two years. read full story

06/05/12 – Vitter blocking Obama nominee for federal court in Baton Rouge
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is blocking President Barack Obama's nomination of Baton Rouge lawyer Shelly D. Dick to the federal bench. Vitter failed to return a "blue slip" that enables the Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on nominees from the home states of nominees. Vitter has supported President Barack Obama's federal court nominees after the president reappointed Jim Letten in 2010 as the chief federal prosecutor in New Orleans. At the time of Letten's reappointment, Vitter was blocking two of Obama's Louisiana nominees - a federal judge in Baton Rouge and a U.S. Marshal in New Orleans. read full story

06/05/12 – Vitter blocking nominee
Sen. David Vitter plans to block the federal judge nomination of Baton Rouge lawyer Shelly D. Dick, of Baton Rouge, at least until after the presidential election in November. Dick is the only federal judge nominee stalled, out of five nominations President Barack Obama made at the same time in April.“By any measure, I’ve bent over backwards to cooperate regarding President Obama’s Louisiana nominees, which has resulted in all 10 before this being confirmed in record time,” Vitter stated. “Now that it’s a few months before a presidential election, however, I’m going to let the people speak before supporting any others.” read full story

06/05/12 – Fitchburg’s Timothy Hillman gets nod for federal judgeship
Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman was confirmed to become a federal judge on an 88-1 vote by the U.S. Senate yesterday. Judge Hillman, a Fitchburg resident, becomes the first Worcester County lawyer to hold the federal judgeship created for Worcester in 1992. F. Dennis Saylor IV, the current federal judge in Worcester, will transfer to the bench in Boston to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Nancy Gertner. Judge Saylor is from Weston, and his predecessor in Worcester, Nathaniel M. Gorton, is from Wellesley. read full story

06/04/12 – U.S. Senate set to vote today on federal judgeship for Fitchburg’s Timothy Hillman
The U.S. Senate this afternoon will vote on the confirmation of Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman of Fitchburg to be the next federal judge in Worcester. The vote comes seven months after President Barack Obama nominated Magistrate Judge Hillman. If confirmed, he would be the first judge from Worcester County to fill the U.S. District Court judgeship since it was created in 1992. read full story

06/04/12 – Lee Will Vote Against Obama’s Judiciary Appointee Today
When Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah) votes against the confirmation of Timothy Hillman today, the judge shouldn’t take it personally. Since President Obama’s recess appointments in January, the tea-party darling has refused to support any of the president’s judiciary nominees. He says he will vote against all the president’s appointees until Obama rescinds his recess nominations to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board. And since — no surprise — the president hasn’t rescinded any of those nominations, Lee has voted against his all appointees since January 4. read full story

06/04/12 – Judicial Vacancies on the Rise, and More from CRS
President Obama began the fourth year of his presidency with more vacant circuit and district court judgeships than when he took office, a new report from the Congressional Research Service observed. read full story

06/04/12 – Senate confirms judicial nominee for District of Massachusetts
The Senate confirmed Timothy S. Hillman for United States Judge for the District of Massachusetts on Monday. The vote was 88 to 1. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) was the lone dissenting vote. Ahead of the vote Massachusetts Sens. John Kerry (D) and Scott Brown (R) praised Hillman."I think both of us believe that the president could not have nominated individual than Judge Hillman," Kerry said. read full story

06/01/12 – Nominations to U.S. Circuit and District Courts by President Obama During the 111th and 112th Congresses
Recent Senate debates in the 112th Congress over judicial nominations have focused on issues such as the relative degree of success of President Barack Obama’s nominees in gaining Senate confirmation (compared with other recent Presidents) as well as the effect of delayed judicial appointments on judicial vacancy levels. The following report addresses these issues, and others, by providing a statistical overview of President Obama’s nominees to U.S. circuit court of appeals and U.S. district court judgeships, current through May 31, 2012. read full story

05/30/12 – As governor, Mitt Romney backtracked on promised reforms in appointing judges
Mitt Romney marched into the Massachusetts State House in 2003 as a self-declared reformer, pledging to fix a judicial nominating system he decried as riddled with patronage and backroom deals. Three years later, Romney changed course. He effectively took over the independent judicial screening commission he had unveiled with such fanfare. And as he geared up to run for president in 2008, Romney dismissed members of the commission who were resisting his choices for judgeships, according to documents and interviews. read full story

05/29/12 – Senate Confirms Watford To Overworked Ninth Circuit, Ending Obstruction Of Filibustered Nominee
That a cloture motion was needed to secure a vote on Watford, who had glowing endorsements from a host of prominent conservatives, appalled Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and others. “Maybe it is that he is so well qualified and relatively young,” Leahy said. “It is as if some fear that he might someday be nominated to a still higher court so they want to avoid voting on his nomination.” read full story

05/29/12 – Utah’s newest federal court judge takes oath of office
Nuffer is recognized nationally as an expert and pioneer in court use of technology. In his remarks, Nuffer spoke of his visits as a legal expert to foreign countries where it is unlawful to criticize leaders, where journalists and forums for free expression are attacked, where women are subject to abuse and rape without remedy and where 15-year-old boys use automatic weapons as a form of "religious compliance control." He pledged to serve as a trustee of the freedoms that are expressed in and protected by the American judicial system. read full story

05/29/12 – About this ad New federal judge takes oath of office in Salt Lake City
A new federal judge took the oath of office Tuesday. David Nuffer became the 16th U.S. District Court judge for Utah at a swearing-in ceremony at the Frank E. Moss Courthouse. President Barack Obama nominated Nuffer in June to fill a vacancy created in November 2009 when Judge Dale A. Kimball took senior status. The Senate confirmed Nuffer in March. read full story

05/29/12 – Thacker sworn in as U.S. 4th Circuit Judge
Stephanie Thacker was sworn in as the newest circuit judge for the Fourth Circuit of the United States on May 29. Thacker, a Hamlin native, is the first woman from West Virginia to serve as a judge in the Fourth Circuit. She was appointed to the bench after the death of M. Blane Michael last year. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin were present at Thacker's investiture, as well as Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia Joseph R. Goodwin, Thacker's family, friends and some former co-workers. read full story

05/29/12 – W.Va. woman sworn in as federal judge
Hamlin native Stephanie Thacker was officially sworn in as the first West Virginia woman to sit on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals during a ceremony Tuesday. "This is plainly a historic event," said Judge Robert King, who also sits on the Fourth Circuit, which is based in Richmond and has appeal jurisdiction over several states, including West Virginia. "I'm truly honored and humbled to be a part of this court," Thacker said. read full story

05/29/12 – Thacker sworn in as federal appeals judge
Stephanie Dawn Thacker donned her vestment Tuesday afternoon as the first West Virginian woman to sit as a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Last year, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., nominated Thacker, a Charleston attorney and Lincoln County native, to fill the seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit Appeals left by Judge M. Blane Michael, who died in March 2011. "That's the craziest thing I ever heard," Thacker said she remembered thinking moments after she received a phone call informing her that the senator had submitted the nomination to President Obama. read full story

05/28/12 – Georgia Senators Block Obama’s Nominee for 11th Circuit Appellate Court
With two seats now open and one vacant for a long period of time, there isn't much reason why Cohen and Pryor cannot be doubly nominated. Neither Isakson nor Chambliss have offered any explanation as to why the 'blue slip' for Pryor has not been returned for the Judiciary Committee nearly two years later. read full story

05/25/12 – With a Bipartisan Flurry, Becoming a Do-Something Senate
For the Congressional chamber where bills usually go to die, the Senate is on something of a roll, passing bipartisan legislation, confirming nominees — and potentially isolating House Republican leaders who have made Senate inaction a centerpiece of their political appeals. It has confirmed 19 judges and has put the Federal Reserve Board at full strength for the first time since 2006. read full story

05/25/12 – Diversity sought on Fulton bench after losing ground
A coalition of leaders from metro Atlanta's African-American legal community this week publicly challenged what they say is a decade-long political failure to appoint African Americans to judgeships. Their initiative reopens a debate about race and the judiciary that was litigated for years in the 1990s and led Governor Zell Miller to appoint a record number of African-American and female judges during his administration. But while African Americans fear they are under-represented in Georgia courts, the new political reality is that African Americans aren't a big constituency of Republicans who since 2002. read full story

05/25/12 – Vote on Oklahoma judicial nominees delayed by GOP
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee blocked consideration on Thursday of five of President Barack Obama's nominees for federal judgeships. Committee Republicans have made it a custom not to allow a vote on judicial nominations the first time nominees appear on the agenda. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Thursday that the votes be delayed. read full story

05/24/12 – Senate ‘Fire Department’ seeks to ease partisan rancor
Republican Lamar Alexander and Democrat Mark Warner have decided to quietly reach across the political divide. They helped pull together a loosely organized group of senators - dubbed the "Volunteer Fire Department" by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham - to have private dinners and try to build relationships to help quell conflicts. Senators who have attended at least one of the dinners credit the events for encouraging Democratic and Republican leaders to work through an impasse over scheduling votes on the confirmation of federal judges. read full story

05/24/12 – Republicans Told Not to Support Pro-Abortion Judicial Nominee
Republican senators received a letter today urging them to not support David Hurwitz, President Obama’s pro-abortion nominee to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Obama added to his pro-abortion record by placing yet another abortion activist in nomination to a top federal appeals court — this time a lawyer credited with helping craft the Roe v. Wade decision. He appointed Hurwitz to the 9th Circuit Court, the most liberal appeals court in the country based in San Francisco and covering laws approved in western states. read full story

05/23/12 – Judicial nominees from Oklahoma headed for U.S. Senate committee vote
Two Oklahomans nominated for federal judgeships were headed for a Senate committee vote Thursday after answering written questions from senators to supplement those asked at a public hearing two weeks ago. The Senate Judiciary Committee has placed the names of Robert E. Bacharach, nominated for a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and John E. Dowdell, nominated for a district judge post in Tulsa, on the agenda for its Thursday meeting. read full story

05/23/12 – Durkin close to U.S. judgeship; Springfield moves a bit on Medicaid, pensions
Three full years after his name formally was submitted to the White House, President Barack Obama has nominated Chicago lawyer Thomas Durkin to a slot on the federal bench here. Mr. Durkin's name first was submitted in August 2009 by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill, and later backed by the state's then-new GOP senator, Mark Kirk. read full story

05/23/12 – 11th Circuit chief will wait on senior status
Following Judge J.L. Edmondson's announcement that he'll take senior status in July, Edmondson's chief judge said he doesn't plan to follow suit when he becomes eligible for semi-retirement later this year. Chief Judge Joel Dubina of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit told the Daily Report he has committed to his colleagues that he'll stay on as chief through the court's judicial conference in May 2013 in Savannah. Senior judges, who can work a lighter caseload, can't be chief judges. read full story

05/22/12 – NCJW leaders visit White House, talk court vacancies with president Read more: The Jewish Chronicle – NCJW leaders visit White House talk court vacancies with president
Christine Stone, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) board director, and chair of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Constitutional Values, joined 150 advocates from 27 states at the White House May 7 to discuss vacancies on the benches of America’s federal courts. After hearing from Attorney General Eric Holder and White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler, Stone was invited to join a group of 20 grassroots leaders in the West Wing to meet with President Barack Obama about working together to fill the vacancies, including the six empty seats in the federal courts of Pennsylvania. read full story

05/22/12 – Senate Confirms Paul Watford for Ninth Circuit Bench
After seven months of confirmation limbo, the Senate confirmed Los Angeles attorney Paul Watford for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Monday evening by a 61-34 vote, reports The Hill. Watford will be the second African American on the court. While the American Bar Association rated Watford "unanimously well-qualified" for the position, some Republicans, including Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, opposed Watford's nomination based on his past opposition to the death penalty and the Arizona immigration law. President Obama nominated Watford to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in October. Widely-considered a moderate, Watford is an Orange County native. read full story

05/22/12 – Casey, Toomey Back Judicial Nominees
Both Senator Bob Casey and Pat Toomey spoke warmly of the judicial nominees to the US District Court of the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The nominees will fill vacancies left by Judge A. Richard Captuo and Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie that have gone unfilled since 2009 and 2010 respectively. The Senators stressed the importance of collaborating across parties to ensure that the two nominees, Matthew Brann and Malachy E. Mannion, are the best choices. read full story

05/22/12 – Here’s your chance to become a federal judge
Do you have a law degree? Do you know anything about federal sentencing guidelines? Do you like Texarkana, Corpus Christi or San Antonio? If you answered yes to most of those questions, U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn would love to hear from you. Both Republicans are soliciting applications for vacant U.S. district court benches in those cities, according to a May 18 announcement on their websites. read full story

05/22/12 – Could vacant 11th Circuit seat allow compromise?
A second Georgia judge has announced plans to give up his seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, adding a new element to a nominations game in which Georgia's U.S. senators have blocked President Barack Obama's choice to fill the first seat. But it's by no means clear that either the White House or the senators would go for such a package. read full story

05/22/12 – Some Fear Judicial Nominations May Stall
Who’s to blame for vacant judgeships? Although the Senate recently confirmed a federal appeals court judge in California, some fear that little progress will be made during an election year. read full story

05/21/12 – President Obama Nominates Thomas M. Durkin to Serve on the US District Court
Today, President Obama nominated Thomas M. Durkin to serve on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. “I am honored to put forward this highly qualified candidate for the federal bench,” President Obama said. “He will be a distinguished public servant and valuable addition to the United States District Court.” read full story

05/21/12 – Senate confirms nominee for 9th circuit court
The Senate confirmed Paul J. Watford for the 9th Circuit court in California on Monday. The vote was 61 to 34; Watford got help from nine Republicans who voted "yes": Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Scott Brown (Mass.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Olympia Snowe (Maine). Every Democrat voted for Watford except Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), who did not vote. read full story

05/21/12 – Senate Confirms Watford for 9th Circuit Seat
The write-in vote for Paul Watford has succeeded. The Senate voted 61-34 to confirm the Munger, Tolles & Olson litigation partner to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday, giving President Obama his fourth appointee to the court. Watford's nomination had been held up several months by a threatened filibuster, but after Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture last week a group of Republican senators agreed to an up-and-down vote. read full story

05/21/12 – Senate Confirms Paul Watford to 9th Circuit
The vote may have been closer than he wanted, but the U.S. Senate confirmed Paul J. Watford to a judgeship on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Monday. The Senate voted 61-34 to give him the new job. Watford, 44, was nominated on October 17, 2011, and got a passing vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. But he was not part of a 14-judge deal the Democrats made with Republicans on judicial confirmations earlier this month and he was passed over briefly. read full story

05/21/12 – Senate OKs Paul Watford for federal appeals court
The Senate confirmed President Obama's appointment of Los Angeles attorney Paul Watford to the federal appeals court in San Francisco on Monday after the nominee, a former prosecutor, lined up enough Republican support to derail a planned filibuster. The vote was 61-34, with nine Republicans joining a unanimous Democratic vote for confirmation. When sworn into office, Watford, 44, will become Obama's fourth appointee to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the second African American among its 27 active judges. read full story

05/21/12 – Senate Confirms Watford to Overworked Ninth Circuit, Ending Obstruction of Filibustered Nominee
The U.S. Senate confirmed Paul Watford to a judicial emergency seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Monday evening, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid moved to force a vote on his nomination. Watford’s confirmation will provide some much-needed relief to the Ninth Circuit, which has more than twice the caseload of the next busiest circuit. read full story

05/21/12 – Senate Confirms Watford to Ninth Circuit
From Jonathan H. Adler: Today the Senate confirmed attorney Paul J. Watford to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The vote was 61-34. This is closer than I would have expected as quite a few conservatives were outspoken in support of his confirmation. read full story

05/21/12 – BREAKING: SENATE DEMS WIN BIG JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION FIGHT
Watford is one of President Obama’s most outstanding nominees — he is both relatively young and a former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Watford’s confirmation also demonstrates the value of fighting to ensure that excellent nominees are confirmed. Today, Reid’s decision to force a vote on a Supreme Court-level talent ended the minority’s streak of preventing President Obama from placing judges on the federal appeals court who have backgrounds that suggest they could be up for a promotion in the future. read full story

05/21/12 – Virginia Senate hopefuls differ on gay judges
When the four Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Virginia gather for their third and final debate Friday, they’ll have before them a brand-new issue: gay judges. GOP Senate candidate and Del. Robert G. Marshall, second from right, talks during the first of three debates. Other Republicans in the debate were, from left, former Virginia senator George Allen, Chesapeake minister E.W. Jackson, and tea party leader Jamie Radtke. The winner of the primary will face former Gov. Tim Kaine in November. (Stephanie Klein-Davis - Associated Press) It’s a hot-button subject that at least two of the candidates — Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) and Chesapeake minister E.W. Jackson, gladly embrace. read full story

05/21/12 – Obama nominates Chicago lawyer for federal bench
A longtime business litigator who helped secure the conviction of former Illinois Gov. Dan Walker during the attorney's 13 years as a Chicago-based federal prosecutor is President Barack Obama’s latest pick to serve as a judge for the federal trial court in Chicago. On Monday, Obama nominated Thomas M. Durkin, who was a federal prosecutor here from 1980 until 1993, to fill one of three remaining vacant judicial seats on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. A Downers Grove resident, Durkin, 58, has the support of both Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin and Republican Sen. Mark Kirk. read full story

05/21/12 – U.S. Senate finally confirms another delayed federal judge
The political theater that is the state of federal judicial nominations had another act today. Senate Republicans finally relented and allowed an up-or-down vote on Paul Watford, a Los Angeles attorney and former prosecutor nominated by President Barack Obama for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco. Watford was confirmed on a 61-34 vote and becomes the second African American on the circuit court. Democrats and their supporters praised the confirmation, but also blasted the GOP for the delay. read full story

05/21/12 – Appellate Judge Approval Lifts Democratic Hopes
The Senate confirmed a federal appeals court judge on Monday, raising hopes among Democratic allies that more stalled judicial nominees can be confirmed before election year politics bring the process to a standstill. Sixteen other judicial nominees, however, still await Senate act