This Week in the Senate: 5/18/2020

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This week, the Senate is holding votes on five nominations, including four to the judiciary, 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 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Pima County Superior Court Judge Scott H. Rash to be a Judge of the District of Arizona, in Tucson. Rash's nomination is relatively noncontroversial, and if confirmed, he would fill a judicial emergency from 2018.
Tuesday:
  • The Senate will vote to confirm Rash, and then will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Trey Trainor to be a FEC Commissioner. If confirmed, Trainor would restore a quorum to the commission, and would be a departure from typical practice of confirming Democrats and Republicans to the FEC together, as he's moving through the process himself. In the afternoon, the Senate will vote to confirm Trainor and to invoke cloture on the nomination of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP partner Anna Manasco to be a Judge of the Northern District of Alabama. Manasco's nomination is relatively noncontroversial, and if confirmed, she would fill a vacancy from April.
Wednesday:
  • The Senate will vote to confirm Manasco, and then will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Hall Estill shareholder John F. Heil III to be a Judge of the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Oklahoma. Heil's nomination is relatively noncontroversial, and if confirmed, he would fill a judicial emergency from 2017. After voting to confirm Heil, the Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Florida Second District Court of Appeal Judge John L. Badalamenti to be a Judge of the Middle District of Florida. The rare former public defender nominated by Trump, Badalamenti's nomination is relatively noncontroversial, and if confirmed, he would fill a judicial emergency from 2018.
Thursday:
  • The Senate will vote to confirm Badalamenti.
On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee will hold a nominations hearing for the following nominee:
    Court of Appeals:
    1. Cory T. Wilson, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit
    On Thursday, the Judiciary Committee will hold an executive session to vote on and/or hold over the following nominations (the number in the parentheses appearing after the nominee's name signifies whether this is the first or second time appearing on the agenda; first-time appearances are typically held over and nominees appearing for the second time usually receive votes):
      Court of Appeals:
      1. Justin R. Walker, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit (1)
          Notes:

          ¹The floor schedule is an approximate guide to when votes may occur. It may not necessarily be completely accurate due to things changing in the Senate during the week.

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