The Judicial Nominations Blog

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 8  ( - 1   this week) Future Vacancies: 1  ( ±  0) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 134  ( ±  0) Future Vacancies: 13  ( ±  0) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 ( ±  0 this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2  ( ±  0) Daniel P. Collins, of California, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( held over , March 28, 2019) Kenneth Kiyul Lee, of California, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( held over , March 28, 2019) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 2  ( - 1 ) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  17  ( +  2 ) Ada E. Brown, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas ( officially nominated , March 26, 2019) David John Novak, of Virginia, to be a United States District Judge f

This week, the Senate is holding votes on one nomination and a few legislative measures, and the Judiciary Committee will possibly convene an executive business meeting. Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm to invoke cloture on the nomination of U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona Magistrate Judge Bridget Bade to be a judge of the Ninth Circuit. Originally nominated in August last year, Bade's nomination was supported at that time by Sens. Jeff Flake and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). The Grand Canyon state's Senate delegation experienced 100% turnover over the winter, and new Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) has publicly expressed support for her, while Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has not. Nevertheless, the fact that Bade did not receive a party-line vote (her vote was 17–5 ) in committee signifies that Sinema has returned a blue slip on her nomination, and thus will likely support her (all previous circuit court nominees without blue slips returned had unanimou

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 9 ( ±  0   this week) Future Vacancies: 1  ( ±  0) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 134  ( +  1 ) Leo M. Gordon,  Court of International Trade¹ , senior status, March 22, 2019, 4/9 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 13  ( - 1 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 ( ±  0 this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2  ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 3 ( ±  0) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  15  ( ±  0) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2 ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 39 ( ±  0) Court of Federal Claims: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 0 ( ±  0) Hearings held and still in Committee: 0 ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 2 ( ±  0) Tax Court: Pen

This week, the Senate is out of session, with senators back in their home-states for a work period.  Pro forma  sessions (to prevent recess appointments) will be held on March 19th and March 21st. Next week, the Senate will vote on one circuit court nomination on the floor, and the Judiciary Committee will hold an executive business meeting to vote on pending nominees, and also might convene to hear from other nominees to the federal bench.

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 9 ( - 2   this week) Future Vacancies: 1  ( ±  0) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 133  ( ±  0) Future Vacancies: 14  ( +  1 ) Leo M. Gordon,  Court of International Trade¹ , senior status, March 22, 2019, 4/9 seats vacant Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 ( - 2  this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2  ( +  2 ) Daniel P. Collins, of California, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( hearing held , March 13, 2019) Kenneth Kiyul Lee, of California, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( hearing held , March 13, 2019) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 3 ( - 2 ) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  15  ( +  4 ) Michael S. Bogren, of Michigan, to be a United States District Judge for the Western District of Michi

This week, the Senate is holding votes on three nominations, and the Judiciary Committee will convene a nominations hearing and possibly a business meeting. Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm to invoke cloture on the nomination of Lowenstein Sandler partner  Paul B. Matey  to be a judge of the Third Circuit. Matey formerly was a counsel to former Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ), and his nomination is opposed by both Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), so this vote will be on party-lines. If Matey is confirmed, he would flip the Third Circuit's en banc  composition from 6–6 evenly split to 7–6 Republican (I fully acknowledge how crude this method is to determine the general ideological tilt of the court). Tuesday: The Senate will vote to confirm Matey and invoke cloture on the nomination of Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Neomi Rao to fill the D.C. Circuit seat vacant by now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh's e

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 11 ( ±  0 this week) Future Vacancies: 1 ( - 3 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 133 ( +  3 ) Ronald B. Leighton¹, Western District of Washington, senior status, February 28, 2019, 4/7 seats vacant Marcia S. Krieger, District of Colorado, senior status, March 3, 2019, 2/7 seats vacant Raner C. Collins, District of Arizona, senior status, March 4, 2019, 3/13 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 13 ( - 2 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 3 ( ±  0  this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 0  ( - 2 ) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 5 ( - 1 ) Joseph F. Bianco, of New York, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit  (Cal. No. 116), 12–10 Michael H. Park, of New York, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit  (Cal. No. 117),  12–10 District Courts: Pending before Sena

This week, the Senate is holding votes on four nominations, and the Judiciary Committee will convene a nominations hearing and a business meeting. Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm to invoke cloture on the nomination of Williams & Connolly partner Allison Jones Rushing to be a judge of the Fourth Circuit. Because Rushing is quite young compared to the typical circuit court nominee, and has a prior affiliation with the Alliance Defending Freedom, the vote will likely be along party lines.  Tuesday: The Senate will vote to confirm Rushing and invoke cloture on the nomination of Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Chad Readler to fill a 6th Circuit vacancy in Ohio. Readler does not have a blue slip returned from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and he also was an instrumental figure in the recent litigation relating to the Affordable Care Act's constitutionality, so his vote will be on party-lines, with possible defections

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 11 ( - 1  this week) Future Vacancies: 4 ( ±  0) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 130 ( +  1 ) Terry L. Wooten, District of South Carolina, senior status, February 28, 2019, 2/10 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 15 ( - 1 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 3 ( ±  0 this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2  ( - 1 ) Joseph F. Bianco, of New York, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit ( held over , February 28, 2019) Michael H. Park, of New York, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit  ( held over , February 28, 2019) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 6 ( ±  0) Neomi J. Rao, of the District of Columbia, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit (Cal. No. 107),  12–10 , February 28, 2019 District Courts: Pending before Senate