The Judicial Nominations Blog

This week, the Senate is holding votes on two bills, and the Judiciary Committee will convene  a nominations hearing and an executive business  meeting . Floor Action:¹ Monday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm on three amendments to  H.R. 3055 , a minibus appropriations bill. Tuesday: The Senate will continue consideration of  H.R. 3055  and  H.R. 2740 . Wednesday: The Senate will continue consideration of  H.R. 3055  and  H.R. 2740 . Thursday: The Senate will continue consideration of  H.R. 3055  and  H.R. 2740 . On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee will hold a  nominations hearing  for the following nominees: Court of Appeals: Patrick J. Bumatay, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Lawrence VanDyke, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit District Court: Philip M. Halpern , to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Bernard...

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 4 ( ±  0  this week) Future Vacancies: 4   ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 90   ( - 1 ) Future Vacancies: 13   ( +  1 ) Theresa Lazar Springmann, Northern District of Indiana, senior status, January 23, 2021, 1/5 seats vacant Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 2  ( ±  0 this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 4   ( - 2 ) Halil Suleyman Ozerden, of Mississippi, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit ( held over , October 24, 2019) Steven J. Menashi, of New York, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit ( held over , October 24, 2019) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 2   ( +  2 ) Danielle J. Hunsaker, of Oregon, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit   (Cal. No...

This week, the Senate is holding votes on two nominations, a treaty, and two bills, and the Judiciary Committee will convene  an executive business  meeting . Floor Action:¹ Monday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm to invoke cloture on the protocol to the NATO Treaty of 1949 admitting North Macedonia to the coalition. Tuesday: The Senate will vote to ratify the treaty, and then will vote to invoke cloture on and confirm the nomination of Andrew Bremberg to representative of the United States to the United Nations mission in Geneva, Switzerland. At some point in the week, the Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the motions to proceed to H.R. 3055 and H.R. 2740 , two minibus appropriations bills. Wednesday: At 2:45 pm, the Senate will vote on passage of S.J. Res. 50 , a Congressional Review Act joint resolution disapproving of the SALT Rule. The Senate will continue consideration of the appropriations bills. Thursday: The Senate will continue cons...

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 4 ( ±  0  this week) Future Vacancies: 4   ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 91   ( - 3 ) Joan N. Ericksen, District of Minnesota, senior status, October 15, 2019, 1/7 seats vacant Future Vacancies: 12   ( - 1 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 2  ( +  2  this week) Patrick J. Bumatay, of California, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( officially nominated , October 15, 2019) Lawrence VanDyke, of Nevada, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit ( officially nominated , October 15, 2019) Hearings held and still in Committee: 6   ( +  2 ) Barbara Lagoa, of Florida, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit ( hearing held , October 16, 2019) Robert J. Luck, of Florida, to be a United States Circuit J...

This week, the Senate is holding votes on five nominations and two joint resolutions, and the Judiciary Committee will convene a nominations hearin g  and an executive business  meeting . Floor Action:¹ Monday: No votes are scheduled. Tuesday: The Senate will vote at 5:30 pm to invoke cloture on the nomination of Barbara McConnell Barrett to be Secretary of the Air Force. Wednesday: The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Bankruptcy Judge Frank William Volk to be a district judge of the Southern District of West Virginia in Charleston. He would fill a vacancy from late last year. Then, there will be cloture votes on the nominations of Quinn Emanuel partner Charles Eskridge to be a district judge of the Southern District of Texas in Houston, Magistrate Judge David J. Novak to be a district judge of the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond, and Assistant to the Solicitor General Rachel P. Kovner to be a district judge of ...

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 4 ( ±  0  this week) Future Vacancies: 4   ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 94   ( ±  0 ) Future Vacancies: 13   ( +  3 ) Harry S. Mattice, Jr., Eastern District of Tennessee, senior status, March 10, 2020, 1/5 seats vacant Liam O'Grady, Eastern District of Virginia, senior status, May 1, 2020, 3/11 seats vacant Benjamin Hale Settle, Western District of Washington, senior status, January 1, 2020, 5/7 seats vacant Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 0  ( ±  0  this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 4   ( ±  0 ) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 0   ( ±  0) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 6   ( ±  0 ) Hearings held and still in Committee: 11   ( ±  0 ) R...

This week, the Senate is out of session, with senators back in their home-states for the Columbus Day work period.  Pro forma  sessions (to prevent recess appointments) will be held on October 8th and October 11th. Next week, the Senate will return to consider five nominations, including four to the judiciary.

Vacancies: Courts of Appeals: Current Vacancies: 4 ( ±  0  this week) Future Vacancies: 4   ( ±  0 ) District Courts: Current Vacancies: 94   ( ±  0 ) Future Vacancies: 10   ( ±  0 ) Pending Nominations: Courts of Appeals: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 0  ( ±  0  this week) Hearings held and still in Committee: 4   ( ±  0 ) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 0   ( ±  0) District Courts: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 6   ( ±  0 ) Hearings held and still in Committee: 11   ( ±  0 ) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Executive Calendar: 17   ( ±  0) Court of Federal Claims: Pending before Senate Judiciary Committee without hearing: 1   ( ±  0) Hearings held and still in Committee: 1   ( ±  0) Reported out of Committee/Pending on Execu...