The Judicial Nominations Blog

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 5 ( +  1   this week) Dennis Jacobs, Second Circuit, senior status, May 31, 2019, 1/13 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 1  ( - 1 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 122   ( ±  0) Future Vacancies: 14  ( ±  0 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 ( ±  0 this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 1  ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 0 ( ±  0) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  12  ( ±  0) Hearings held and still in Committee: 19  ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 30 ( ±  0) Court of Federal Claims: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 0  ( ±  0) Hearings held and still in Committee: 2  ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 2  ( ±  0) Tax Court: Pending before

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 4 ( - 1   this week) Future Vacancies: 2  ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 122   ( - 4 ) Future Vacancies: 14   ( +  1 ) Karon O. Bowdre, Northern District of Alabama, senior status, April 25, 2020, 2/8 seats vacant Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1 ( - 1  this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 1  ( +  1 ) Daniel Aaron Bress, of California,  to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( hearing held , May 22, 2019) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 0 ( - 1 ) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  12  ( - 4 ) Hearings held and still in Committee: 19  ( +  16 ) Gary R. Brown, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York ( officially nominated , May 21, 2019) Stephanie A. Gallagher, of Maryl

This week, the Senate is out of session, with senators back in their home-states for Memorial Day.  Pro forma  sessions (to prevent recess appointments) will be held on May 28th and May 31st. Next week, the Senate will return to consider up to nine nominations, including three to the judiciary.

This week, the Senate is holding votes on five nominations, and the Judiciary Committee will convene a nominations hearing and an executive business meeting . Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Munger, Tolles & Olson partner Daniel P. Collins  to be a judge on the Ninth Circuit at 5:30 pm. Collins does not have blue slips from either of California's Democratic senators, and thus this cloture vote will be along party lines. Tuesday: No votes are expected, due to all 30 hours of post-cloture debate likely to be used on the Collins nomination.  The Senate will vote to confirm the Collins nomination, and then will vote to invoke cloture on and confirm the nominations of Cooper & Kirk partner  Howard Nielson  (for the District of Utah, in Salt Lake City) and Stephen Clark (for the Eastern District of Missouri, in St. Louis). Nielson faces opposition from many senators over his involvement in the California Proposition 8

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 5 ( - 1   this week) Future Vacancies: 2  ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 126   ( - 1 ) Jose L. Linares, District of New Jersey, retirement, May 16, 2019, 6/17 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 13  ( +  1 ) Christopher A. Boyko, Northern District of Ohio, senior status, January 6, 2020, 3/11 seats vacant Peter J. Phipps, Western District of Pennsylvania, elevation to Third Circuit, TBD, 6/10 seats vacant Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 2 ( +  1  this week) Peter Joseph Phipps, of Pennsylvania, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit ( officially nominated , May 13, 2019) Hearings held and still in Committee: 0  ( ±   0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 1 ( - 1 ) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  16  ( +  5 ) Douglas Russell Cole,

This week, the Senate is holding votes on at least four  five nominations, and the Judiciary Committee will convene an executive business meeting. Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote to invoke cloture at 5:30 pm on the nomination of Orgain Bell & Tucker partner Michael Truncale to be a judge of the Eastern District of Texas in the Beaumont division. Truncale is a former member of the Texas senators' judicial nominating commission, and he also was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2012 Republican primary for Texas's 14th Congressional District, a seat that was vacated by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) in his unsuccessful presidential bid. Due to controversies over various statements he made during his campaign, Truncale is opposed by many activist groups, and thus his cloture and confirmation votes will pass on very narrow lines. Tuesday: The Senate will vote to confirm Truncale, and will then vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jenner & Block partner Ke

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 6 ( - 2   this week) Future Vacancies: 2  ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 127  ( +  2 ) Joseph F. Bianco, Eastern District of New York, elevation to Second Circuit, May 8, 2019, 5/15 seats vacant Frederick J. Kapala, Northern District of Illinois, senior status, May 10, 2019, 5/22 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 12  ( - 1 ) Rebecca Beach Smith, Eastern District of Virginia, senior status, August 1, 2019, 3/11 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: 2 ( - 2 ) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  11  ( - 1 ) Hearings held and still in Committee: 3  ( - 3 ) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 36 ( +  4 ) Jeffrey Vincent Brown

This week, the Senate is holding votes on six nominations, and the Judiciary Committee will convene an executive business meeting. Floor Action: Monday: The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of U.S. District Judge Joseph Bianco (E.D.N.Y.) for the Second Circuit at 5:30 pm. Bianco's nomination is opposed by both of his home state senators, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and thus this vote is expected to be along party lines. Tuesday: The Senate will vote to confirm the Bianco nomination, and will then vote to invoke cloture on (and ultimately confirm) three nominations to the Export-Import Bank's board of directors: Kimberly Reed (to be President; R); former Representative Spencer Bachus (R-AL); and Judith Pryor (D). The confirmation of these nominations will restore a quorum to the board after a long hiatus. Wednesday: The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on (and then confirm) the nomination of Janet Dhillon (R) to

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 8 ( ±  0   this week) Future Vacancies: 2  ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 125  ( - 4 ) Keith Starrett, Southern District of Mississippi, senior status, April 30, 2019, 2/6 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: 0  ( ±   0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 4 ( ±   0) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing:  12  ( - 3 ) Hearings held and still in Committee: 6  ( +  3 ) Ada E. Brown, of Texas, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas ( hearing held , April 30, 2019) Steven D. Grimberg, of Georgia, to be a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia ( hearing held , April 30, 2019) David John Novak, of Virginia, t