Weekly Update: 4/12/2019

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Vacancies:
Courts of Appeals:
  • Current Vacancies: 8 (± 0 this week)
  • Future Vacancies: 1 (± 0)
District Courts:
  • Current Vacancies: 129 (- 4)
  • Future Vacancies: 14 (+ 1)
    • Joe L. Heaton, Western District of Oklahoma, senior status, July 1, 2019, 3/7 seats vacant
Pending Nominations:
Courts of Appeals:
  • Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 (± 0 this week)
  • Hearings held and still in Committee: 0 (± 0)
  • Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 4 (± 0)
District Courts:
  • Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 15 (- 3)
  • Hearings held and still in Committee: 3 (+ 3)
    • Jeffrey Vincent Brown, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas (hearing held, April 10, 2019)
    • Stephanie L. Haines, of Pennsylvania, to be a United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania (hearing held, April 10, 2019)
    • Brantley Starr, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas (hearing held, April 10, 2019)
  • Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 37 (- 4)
Court of Federal Claims:
  • Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 2 (± 0)
  • Hearings held and still in Committee: 0 (± 0)
  • Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 2 (± 0)
Tax Court:
  • Pending before Senate Finance Committee without hearing: 3 (± 0)
  • Hearings held and still in Committee: 0 (± 0)
  • Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 1 (± 0)
Floor Action:
Nominations Confirmed:
  • Daniel Desmond Domenico, of Colorado, to be a United States District Judge for the District of Colorado (Cal. No. 21), 57–42, April 9, 2019
  • Patrick R. Wyrick, of Oklahoma, to be a United States District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma (Cal. No. 27), 53–47, April 9, 2019
  • Holly A. Brady, of Indiana, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Indiana (Cal. No. 31), 56–42, April 10, 2019
  • David Steven Morales, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas (Cal. No. 30), 56–41, April 10, 2019
Cloture Motions Filed:
  • J. Campbell Barker, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas (Cal. No. 26), April 11, 2019
  • Andrew Lynn Brasher, of Alabama, to be a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama (Cal. No. 29), April 11, 2019
  • Rodolfo Armando Ruiz II, of Florida, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida (Cal. No. 33), April 11, 2019
  • Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach, of Puerto Rico, to be a United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico (Cal. No. 34), April 11, 2019
  • Joshua Wolson, of Pennsylvania, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Cal. No. 36), April 11, 2019
Other Actions Taken (Nomination rejected, withdrawn by White House, etc.):
  • Gary R. Brown, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Stephanie A. Gallagher, of Maryland, to be a United States District Judge for the District of Maryland (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Diane Gujarati, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Eric R. Komitee, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Rachel P. Kovner, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Lewis J. Liman, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Mary S. McElory, of Rhode Island, to be a United States District Judge for the District of Rhode Island (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Martha M. Pacold, of Illinois, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Mary M. Rowland, of Illinois, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Steven C. Seeger, of Illinois, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • John L. Sinatra, Jr., of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Western District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
  • Mary Kay Vyskocil, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York (nomination announced, April 8, 2019)
Cumulative Confirmations:
Courts of Appeals: 37 (± 0 this week)
District Courts: 58 (+ 4)
Court of Federal Claims: 0 (± 0)
Tax Court: 2 (± 0)

Comments

  1. SamApril 13, 2019 at 8:20 PM

    With a long break ahead of us, a few observations:

    1. The White House did not renominate Farr, Bounds or O'Connor but they did renominat Kovner for a district court judgeship, I am assuming they have someone else in mind for the upcoming vacancy on the Second Circuit.

    2. The White House would be wise to negotiate with Sen. Scott so that he approves of the Bounds nomination (for example by sacrificing Farr and giving Sen. Scott more of a say on the two district court vacancies in South Carolina).

    3. The current vacancy on the Fifth Circuit is 18 months old. That is an unusually long time even with the initial disagreements about who to nominate.

    4. Legal conservative activists should start lobbying eligible Republican appointees in blue states to take senior status sooner rather than later. For example if a seat in IL opens up in May 2020, odds are it won't get filled.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SamApril 13, 2019 at 8:53 PM

    Just to expand on #4 above: you have a Ford appointee (Judge Tjoflat), eight Reagan appointees (age range: 70 - 91) and six George H. W. Bush appointees (age range: 68 - 84).

    Assuming the current and future vacancies will get filled, replacing these 15 judges will bring the total of Trump appointed circuit court judges to 61. More than half of those 15 will have little problem from home senators (FL, IN, TX, then Federal Circuit, D.C. Circuit and the Puerto Rico seat on the First Circuit).

    ReplyDelete

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