This Week in the Senate: 9/14/2020

This week, the Senate is holding votes on eight nominations to the judiciary, 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 nomination of former Milbank partner Mark C. Scarsi to be a Judge of the Central District of California, in Los Angeles. His nomination is noncontroversial, and if confirmed he would fill a judicial emergency from 2017.

Tuesday:

• The Senate will vote to confirm Scarsi, and then will vote to invoke cloture on the nominations of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stanley Blumenfeld to be a Judge of the Central District of California, in Los Angeles, Greenberg Gross partner John W. Holcomb to be a Judge of the Central District of California, in Riverside, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Wallace Robinson to be a Judge of the Southern District of California, in San Diego. All of their nominations are noncontroversial, and if confirmed they would fill judicial emergencies from 2014, 2016, and 2016, respectively. Notably, Blumenfeld would fill the oldest Article III judicial vacancy in the country. In the afternoon, the Senate will vote to confirm Blumenfeld, Holcomb, and Robinson.

Wednesday:

• The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the nominations of Illinois Circuit Judges David W. Dugan and Stephen P. McGlynn to be Judges of the Southern District of Illinois, in East St. Louis, and Magistrate Judge Iain D. Johnston and Illinois Associate Judge Franklin Ulyses Valderrama to be Judges of the Northern District of Illinois, in Rockford and Chicago, respectively. Dugan and McGlynn are opposed by Democrats due to their support for pro-life organizations, their membership in the National Rifle Association, and Dugan's brief affiliation with the Alliance Defending Freedom as an attorney, among other things. If confirmed, these nominees would all fill vacancies from 2019. In the afternoon, the Senate will vote to confirm Dugan and McGlynn.

Thursday:

• The Senate will vote to confirm Johnston and Valderrama.

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):

District Court:

1. J. Philip Calabrese, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio (2)
2. Aileen Mercedes Cannon, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida (2)
3. Toby Crouse, to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Kansas (2)
4. James Ray Knepp II, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio (2)
5. Michael Jay Newman, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio (2)

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.