U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Hall has extensive experience litigating in Delaware federal court and is now poised to join it with a lifetime appointment.
Background
Jennifer L. Hall received a B.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1997, her M. Phil. from Yale University in 2000, her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2003, and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 2006. After graduating, Hall clerked for Judge Sharon Prost on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and then for Judge Kent Jordan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Hall subsequently joined Fish & Richardson, where she spent three years as an Associate before becoming a federal prosecutor in Delaware. She subsequently became Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2015.
In 2019, Hall became a U.S. Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, where she currently serves.
History of the Seat
Hall has been nominated for a vacancy that will open by Judge Richard Andrews’ move to senior status on December 31, 2023.
Legal Experience
After her clerkships, Hall started her legal career at the firm of Fish & Richardson where she represented plaintiffs in a patent infringement suit over a generic version of the pain drug Amrix, which concluded in a bench trial before Judge Sue L. Robinson. See In re Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride, 794 F. Supp. 2d 517 (D. Del. 2011).
From 2011 to 2019, Hall worked as an AUSA in Delaware, handling both affirmative civil cases (brought by the government) and defensive ones. Compare United States v. Energy Solutions, Inc., 265 F. Supp. 3d 415 (D. Del. 2017) with LKQ Corp. v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Security, 369 F. Supp. 3d 577 (D. Del. 2019). Among her larger cases, Hall was lead counsel in challenging the acquisition of Andrews County Holding, Inc. by the defendants, arguing that the acquisition would significantly affect competition for disposal of low-level radioactive waste. United States v. Energy Solutions, Inc., 265 F. Supp. 3d 415 (D. Del. 2017). In 2017, U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson enjoined the merger as a violation of the Clayton Act. See id. at 446.
Hall also handled some criminal cases, including arguing appeals before the Third Circuit. See, e.g., United States v. Boney, 769 F.3d 153 (3d Cir. 2014).
Judicial Experience
Since 2019, Hall has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, presiding over discovery issues, pretrial release, administrative cases, and cases with the consent of the parties.
Among her notable decisions, Hall conducted a bench trial in response to an Eighth Amendment claim brought by Christopher West, an incarcerated individual, who alleged that he was deprived of a mattress. See West v. Emig, C.A. No. 13-2103-JLH (D. Del. Oct. 24, 2022) (Memorandum Opinion). Hall made a factual finding that West had been deprived of a mattress for a period of one month, but noted that the deprivation was based on a legitimate penological interest, as West had developed a habit of ripping over mattresses and swallowing the filling. See id. As a conclusion, Hall found both that West had not established an Eighth Amendment violation and that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity. See id.
Among the reports and recommendations she authored, Hall recommended the denial of a motion to dismiss racial and religious discrimination claims brought by a black muslim firefighter, while recommending the granting of contractual discrimination and hostile work environment claims, noting that the complaint failed to allege facts supporting those claims. See Ferrell v. City of Wilmington, C.A. No. 21-1593-RGA (D. Del. Feb. 1, 2023).
Overall Assessment
Like fellow Delaware nominees Leonard Stark, Gregory Williams, and Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, Hall has an unimpeachable resume for her position and little in her background that should cause controversy. She should be confirmed well in advance of Andrews’ move to senior status.
The Vetting Room 
Delaware has a heavy emphasis on patent law so I always expect these type of conventional nominees over liberal attorneys. Hall should be confirmed, likely before the seat she was nominated for is even vacant.
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Happy to read about another well-qualified dedicated public servant being elevated to a lifetime appointment!
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Who do you think will be on the July 26 nominations hearing panel? Has there been enough time since the July 11 batch was sent to the Senate?
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Jennifer Hall has a sterling resume and her background seems to have nothing that’ll generate strong objections. The only bad thing one could say about her is that she’s bland and not exciting. Look for a comfortable confirmation.
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Another traditional nominee put forward by Biden. I’d expect Hall to be confirmed with more than the typical three Republican votes.
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The mattress case is interesting, as well.
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I’m guessing we will get a new batch by next week. I’m already resigned to the gate it will be no more than 5 district court nominees. The key is if we will finally get any circuit court nominees so we can have a full hearing when they return in September.
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I agree with you. If not next week, the week after.
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@Daquan
There is no reason to not have a nominee for the 4th vetted and ready to announce by now. I would say the same for the 1st, but that one is relatively newer since Delaney withdrew his name for consideration. Get the blue state circuit court vacancies out of the way so Biden and co. can pivot to negotiating for the large red-state vacancies (Texas & Florida). Also, still waiting for that 7th and 10th nominee. Remember, there are no blue slips required to nominate or confirm a circuit judge, shouldn’t be that hard to find a young progressive lawyer in Indiana and Kansas. Hurry up before Tester starts voting against nominees too. Just think, what would Mitch McConnell do? …
Still bothers me that Scott Colom was just left all high and dry like that. That’s the kind of nominee worth making a huge PR push to either get Hyde-Smith to begrudgingly support or to light a fire under Durbin’s ass to make an exception/rule change. I’m still hoping that there is a surprise vacancy in the 5th circuit from Mississippi so Colom can have a SJC slot without the need to have blue slips returned on him, but all we can do is wait. Having Colom on the 5th would be akin to what Trump did with his nominees on the 9th. Not only would he be replacing a GOP appointee, but he would bring an unabashed liberal view of the law to challenge the right-wing judicial activist kookery going down there in the 5th. Ramirez won’t do anything besides respectfully disagree and dissent, while I could envision Colom pushing back hard and issuing venomous dissents. Would love to see a 3-judge panel with Ho and Colom, but a guy can dream. Need to fill almost every possible vacancy, no time to rest when rights are under siege.
Realistically, there should be no reason to not have a new batch of at least 2-3 judicial nominees every month. Constant communication with senators of both parties, and the kind of vetting process from the FBI that Kavanaugh got, really shouldn’t be that hard lololol.
Need to pick up the pace, 200 may be out of reach by election day. Don’t know that Schumer or Durbin have the balls to hold hearings and confirmation votes for nominees in the lame duck session after the 2024 election. Doubly so if Biden loses reelection *knocks on wood*
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@dawsont825
I absolutely agree with everything you said. But with this new WHC office I have no confidence in it being done. Especially the part about if Graves or Southwick left the bench to open up a vacancy on the 5th for Mississippi.
I wrote before the ink shouldn’t be dry on their senior status letter before Biden nominated Scott Colom, even if he’s the only nominee in the batch. But I doubt this WHC office would do that. They still would want to negotiate in good faith with a senator who said she would gladly not just go to a hanging, but stand in the front row to watch it. It makes me angry they even entertain her opinion on should a young progressive Black man be on the bench. I don’t think she’s voted yes on one Biden judicial nominee yet.
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She voted in favor of Zahid Quraishi: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00230.htm
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Along with Regina M. Rodriguez: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00222.htm
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And one more: Patricia Tolliver Giles https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1171/vote_117_1_00434.htm
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Exactly! I have no problem with a senator of the opposite party getting concessions from the President of the opposite party by asking for a more moderate nominee or an older one, etc., but Hyde-Smith strikes me as a “you’re not going to fill this vacancy” kind of senator… which should not be allowed. One racist ass meemaw senator should not be able to tell the duly elected President which federal judge can and cannot be appointed to a state.
I fear you’re right in terms of Biden nominating Colom to the 5th in case of a vacancy. I don’t think he has the hutzpah to nominate someone given to him by outside groups (the left’s version of FedSoc) or staff recommendations over the standard negotiation with senators to get a C- name for that 5th. I think he would get Colom for the district court seat if there were a vacancy on the 5th, but only to get blue slips returned and he would HAPPILY accept a Ramirez type on the 5th to get Colom.
At this point in time, I’m frustrated that Biden is allowing senators from his own damn party to hold up nominations and getting every vacancy filled. It’s not “civility politics” to nominate someone over the objections or reservations of a senator from your own party, but it shouldn’t take that long to agree to someone. Especially when one of the senators isn’t going to be there after election day, he definitely wouldn’t want to ruin relations with the President on the way out.
Get the blue-state vacancies filled and find a way to get Colom and tons of other Colom’s confirmed to red-state vacancies. Time is of the essence.
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Now if only her old boss will go senior. He’s one of the few Republican appointed circuit judges who I believe has a non-zero chance of going senior under Biden. Still unlikely but would certainly be nice.
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And we would likely get a nominee quicker than we got Montgomery-Reeves. No way Biden would let risk half of his home state circuit seats to go unfilled until after the election.
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No excuse not to have 3rd and 4th circuit nominees ready at this point. 7th or 10th either honestly, but at least I understand the desire to negotiate.
The only appellate vacancy I give any sort of pass for is the 1st, but even then it’s been several months and the NH senators should have had runners up ready from when they recommended Delaney.
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The New Hampshire senators were taking a page out of Cardin’s Russian Roulette book. They were ready to fight to the death for Delaney. I doubt they even gave the administration a second name. Now the administration should have demanded a second name, especially since Delaney was getting push back even before he was announced.
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The NH Senators don’t have as many opportunities to get a nominee. Now that the Labor Secretary position will not be filled people now how it feels to want and not get.
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I’m just thankful the nomination wasn’t allowed to linger. My biggest fear was that they’d simply table it and wait 6 or 12 months before withdrawing.
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@Joe
That’s a great point. I totally believe the NH senators & likely the administration were willing to continue backing Delaney right up until the end of the year.
As much as it pains me to say it, I think we have senator Blackburn to thank for that not happening. Her brilliant attack on senator Hirono without mentioning her name at Delaney’s hearing was the likely the turning point. Up to that point, most Democrats were only saying they hadn’t made their minds up yet.
When Blackburn said “We have a senator here who ask every nominee if they have committed sexual assault but is now willing to vote for this nominee”, Hirono likely went & privately made her intentions to vote no known. Most likely that opened the floodgates for other senators to follow suit as well.
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That was ludicrous Delaney didn’t sexually assault anyone. People must be desperate to have the GOP do their dirty work for them.
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Who said Delaney sexually assault anybody? That would be nobody… Lol
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You just said you were pleased that Blackburn responded to Hirono about when she asks nominees if they have been involved sexual harassment .
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@shawnee68
Blackburn was making a comparison, not saying Delaney committed sexual assault. And yes I’m happy because if you remember as soon as Delaney was announced I said I was luke warm about him being the nominee. So anything that led to him not being the nominee would probably make me happy.
@dawsont825
Yup, another Ramirez type for the 5th in exchange for Colom on the district court is exactly the type of deal I would expect should a Mississippi seat on the 5th become vacant. But guess what…. I doubt Colom would get confirmed before Inauguration Day 2025 to the district court in that deal even if the vacancy occurred tomorrow. Here’s why…
First Hyde-Smith would need about 4-5 months to interview candidates. That’s not counting August since she’s on vacation. That brings us to February. Then Hyde-Smith would go back & fourth with the administration for another 2 months negotiating. Then around the end of April she will finally agree to turn in her blue slip for Colom in exchange for a White male version of Irma Ramirez for the 5th. The FBI vetting could take a month or so for that nominee so let’s say it’s finished sometime around mid June. Biden announces that nominee around then.
Now Hyde-Smith wants to review one bull shit conspiracy theory that just came up about Colom before she turns her blue slip in. It’s now the end of July 2024 & Hyde-Smith can’t find a shred of evidence to back the claims up so she announces she will return her blue slip for Colom after the Summer recess. Now here comes September 2024 & the senate has returned but guess what… Hyde-Smith says it’s too close to the election to confirm a lifetime appointment to the judiciary & the people should decide who gets to fill that seat so she refuses to turn her blue slip in now.
See how nice of a friend I am. I gave you the plot, synopsis & ending of the movie to save you the trouble of having to watch it… Lol
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Nobody said that he did. The issue wasn’t him defending the accused, it was how he went about doing so. If you still can’t understand that, it is likely that it is because you are either ignorant on this topic or wish to not admit it.
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What do you mean “how he went about doing so?” He did not do anything unethical or illegal. If there was a problem with Delaney a bar complaint could have been filed or a motion for sanctions.
None of those options were pursued here because he did nothing other than represent his client. They treated that girl with kid gloves. They could have deposed her and dragged out a settlement for years. Do you understand how litigation works?
Let’s try to be honest here : you guys don’t like him because he was a prosecutor. There was nothing in the mans background that suggested that he conducted himself inappropriately in the case.
What’s more what troubles me the worst most is that a 16 year old girl was weaponized for political purposes . How any adult could allow a minor to lead an opposition to judicial nominee is despicable. How does that help her heal ? It’s the ends justify the means.
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You and I very well know that Delaney looked to expose the name of the Jane Doe when she was opposed to it. It is at the very least unbecoming, and like I mentioned earlier, just because there are avenues to fight back against such conduct doesn’t mean that they are used, for a variety of reasons. There are ways to try and represent any client without resorting to such tactics, and if you are still ignorantly struggling to understand that maybe try and talk to someone who has gone through such a situation.
I have absolutely no issues with prosecutors as a whole; they fulfill a critical role in the criminal justice system and of course qualified ones should be federal judges. The only prosecutors I despise are the “progressives” like Larry Krasner and Rachael Rollins, who end up making people less safe.
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No, we don’t know .Delaney said that he didn’t do anything unethical. It was the plaintiff and her attorney’s who decided to try the case in the media. I think you are overreacting.
When you sue somebody you get to decide how they will defend themselves. As I said before, there were no “hardball” tactics from the defendants and Delaney.
If they wanted to they could have deposed the plaintiff for several hours on her dating history and family life. They also would have been entitled to psychiatric records.
Since you believe that it’s appropriate for litigation and court business to be out in the street. How would you feel if deposition testimony of the plaintiff were released to the public? It wasn’t Delaney fault for representing the interests of his client.
Even Senator Kennedy accepted Delaney’s explanation of what happened. I have raised two teenagers so I know more than you think about stuff that happened at that school.
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Oh, so just because he said he did nothing unethical, we should just shut up and take him at his word? I don’t buy that for a second, since openly saying he was unethical wouldn’t be conductive to his chances of being confirmed. Also, just because he went for only the head and not the rest of the body, we should just be cool with that? Not buying that, yes he could’ve done worse but that doesn’t excuse the action he took. Last time I looked, Democrats care way more about sexual assault victims than Republicans (just look at the last GOP president), so what Kennedy said moves me little. At the end of the day, Delaney wasn’t moved through committee because he was opposed by members of both parties, and while you can continue to whine about how it isn’t fair, at the end of the day it is because of his full record, not just his time as a prosecutor (since that is why you seem to be enamored with him so much). I too have spent time raising children, so I have my own feeling based upon the issue. Now, I hope the NH senators recommend someone swiftly to replace him so the seat can be filled. You got any prosecutors in mind; I’m all ears (unlike some on this website).
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@Dequan
Rotten Tomatoes rates that movie: 25% *insert thumbs down emoji* but props for accuracy and realism.
Crazy how McConnell and the GOP can and were able to appoint circuit judges all willy nilly to blue states, but there are vacant red-state circuit vacancies and we’re de facto back to blue slips (or at least cordial conversations and negotiations). I know I sound like a broken record saying this over and over again, but it’s frustrating knowing that at least 10 judges were confirmed over the objections of the home state senators and all we have to show for it is Andre Mathis and Anthony Johnston (good judges on their own, but their nominations pale in comparison to the contempt and disrespect shown by the GOP when they were in the majority). The vacancies on the 7th and 10th circuits are perfect opportunities to return fire and appoint two young liberal lawyers to those seats and have them set precedent for decades to come. But, at best we’ll get two 55-year-old moderate former AUSA’s and that’s that. One side uses their power and tells you to eff off and the other wants to find a bipartisan path forward for EVERYTHING.
The absolute worst part about your proposed (and pretty spot on) take on what Hyde-Smith would do, is the fact that Durbin would sit there happily like a bump on a log and do jack diddly squat about the obstructionism happening in front of his face. He would tweet some bullshit thing like “I urge my republican colleagues to work in good faith in filling their district court vacancies” and wouldn’t lift a finger to help Colom or another of the other well-qualified nominees from being given a SJC slot due to GOP senator hackery.
And then let’s get wacky and project Biden to win reelection and for the Dems to retain the senate majority, Manchin our not… Durbin STILL wouldn’t alter or end blue slips, he would just sit there and do nothing while hack senators like Cruz, Hawley, Blackburn, Pencil-neck-boi (Cotton), Marshall thwart Biden’s efforts to go further and appoint judges to critical district court vacancies.
To say I’m frustrated is the understatement of the century, but something can be done. It’s like we went from having one status quo defender in Leahy as SJC chairman to another. Sen. Whitehouse has to plan a political coup d’état for that chairmanship, enough is enough. Let Durbin have another chairmanship, we need a Rottweiler/Pitbull as SJC chairman. Durbin ain’t it.
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Yup. That is a horrible movie, but we all know it would say “Based on actual events” at the beginning because that’s what would happen.
Durbin deciding to retire or at least give up the chairmanship would be great news. I don’t think either will happen soon, but chairman Whitehouse sure has a nice ring to it. Until then, I fear we sadly will remain frustrated because for some reason Durbin is still yearning for our grandfather’s senate & those days are looooooong gone.
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Also, forgive me for potentially starting an ageist mini rant here (which could lead to a whole nasty debate), but dear God is the Senate Dem caucus old. Not even just talking about the top 3 (ML, Whip, SPT) but just the whole damn caucus is old. Maybe that has something to do with the Dems lack of fight (ideology of neoliberalism mixed with their age which renders them energy-less to pick fights and whatnot).
(Disclaimer: Not saying that old people should sit down and shut up or die quickly or any of that nonsense.)
Just saying that maybe the Dems in the senate face tough maps because they have to rely on older senators to run for reelection and to keep their seats to have a stable majority. Seems like the GOP are routinely electing young senators (Cotton, Vance, Britt, Hawley, Mullin) who can and probably will serve for multiple terms keeping the seat out of Dem’s hands for years (not that a Dem was going to win in Arkansas or Alabama anyway, but stranger things have happened). It’s been proven time and time again that the power of incumbency can help in a tough reelection race. How long has Rubio been a senator? 12 years! And he’s JUST now turning 52. He could be in that seat for another 2 decades! On the flip side, Peter Welch JUST started his senate career at 75/76 years old. And Lisa Blunt Rochester is about to start her senate career next year at 61/62 years old. Could that be a mix of the party dismissing anyone that hasn’t “waited their turn” or “paid their dues” along with anything of the sort? Could be, I just hate that one side elects and promotes younger rabble rouser senators and Dems appoint cordial but tough tweeters. More Ossoff’s and Warnock’s please.
I don’t even know who is next in line to replace Schumer when he eventually retires after this term or next, but I think he’s preparing Klobuchar for that role. Jury’s still out on her being ruthless like McConnell, but we’ll see.
I just want a Dem caucus in the senate that is going to fight to put liberals in right-leaning circuit courts and fight to rebalance the Supreme Court once Thomas *eventually* steps down or dies. I need to know that Schumer or whoever is leading the caucus (and the members in the caucus) have the backbone to stick together to confirm a SCOTUS justice in the mold of Sotomayor or Brown-Jackson one day. Can’t miss another opportunity to replace a Scalia-type conservative.
“Our grandfather’s senate” is LOOOONG gone lolol. The days of passing commonsense legislation or working in good faith to get bills passed is long gone. Only minor bills get passed nowadays and there is a greater reward for obstructing than getting things done or nominees confirmed. Only time anything major gets passed is when the defense budget comes up for a vote with enough pork in it to make all the butchers in the U.S. swoon, and when one party has a triad in the U.S. Government which enables them to pass a partisan reconciliation bill once every 10 years. This is the new-age senate, either fight like hell and get things down or get run over and embrace a 6-3 SCOTUS. Sadly, I think Dems enjoy the futility *sigh*
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I was actually thinking the other week how much younger the Democrat senate caucus will get come 2025. While I know Lisa Blunt Rochester is in her 60’s, she still will bring youth to that seat. Feinstein’s replacement will definitely be younger, we just have to see by how much. If it’s Barbara Lee then of course not by too much.
To me, Tom Cotton getting elected hit the mother load for what a Republican should want. He replaced a Democrat so that was a flip, we was in his high 30’s/low 40’s, he’s ultra conservative & as I’ve mentioned before on the blog the Democrats didn’t even field an opponent against him when he ran for reelection. I can’t remember that last Republican to Democrat flip that was that great.
Maybe when George Allen lost in Virginia after the “Macaka” (However you spell that) comment. Senator Kirk wasn’t that bad or I would have said Tammy Duckworth. My number one would have easily been Doug Jones if he would have some or won re-election & still be in the senate. My new number one would have EASILY been Mandela Barnes had he been able to knock iff Ron Johnson. I’m still hurt from that one.
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Younger is a relative term, and yes they would be replacing 3 extremely old senators (Cardin, Feinstein, and Carper), 4 if you count Stabenow. But they still have numerous senators in their 70s and pushing 70 right behind them. So, who knows if the average age of the Dem caucus would drop only a year and a half lololol.
The only flip that I can think which matches Cotton’s flip in 2014 was Fetterman in 2022. I’ll be patiently waiting for the flip of Susan Collins’ seat and OVER THE MOOD excited for the day a Dem finally flips Ron Johnson’s seat. But no one has that same mix of youth, and ultra liberal ideology since Sen. Al Franken (I miss him so much).
There have been good flips over the years (Cory Gardner to John Hickenlooper, Dean Heller to Jacky Rosen, David Perdue to Jon Ossoff, Kelly Ayotte to Maggie Hassan) but the elected Dems are all moderates. Great for increasing the size of the caucus, especially for judicial appointments, but that’s about it.
I hope Mandela Barnes runs for Johnson’s seat again in 2028, that kind of young and liberal candidate would be great for that state. Just hope Tammy Baldwin runs for another term in 2030 after she wins next year.
After that, the country is so polarized politically that it’ll be hard to see many cross party elected senators. I think I read a stat that the current opposite party senate delegation is at a multi-decade low (Wisconsin, West Virginia, Montana, Maine, and Vermont ((technically)) ). So, who knows if there’ll be another multi-term senator from the opposite party as how the state votes every year in the presidential election.
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We don’t need Mandela Barnes to run another campaign for the Senate. He had his chance and he choked.
The Governor got re-elected so he should have made it. However ,Barnes was correctly perceived as weak on crime and that hurt the campaign and he lost.
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In a center-right country that has states with lower populations leaning heavily conservative, having a caucus further to the left simply isn’t an option if you actually want to have the Democrats control the Senate. I do agree that Klobuchar is one of a couple of possible replacements as leader, but there isn’t anyone on either side of the aisle in the Senate today who is even in the same league as McConnell when it comes to strategy.
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I outright reject that framing of America being a “right-wing” country. I won’t even entertain that because the polls of what the average American supports ECONOMICALLY leans heavily in the liberal/progressive direction. (Raising the minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy, union support, reducing the bloated defense budget, etc.,) But if you were to go on the social issues (excluding abortion, which a supermajority of Americans support Roe v. Wade’s middle path) then you can start to see a conservative support base (guns, religion, transgender issues, heritage, patriotism, etc.).
The problem is that the Dems are just as corrupt and aren’t left enough on ECONOMIC issues. When did Pres. Biden have his highest approval ratings? At the beginning of his presidency (yes, new president’s always have their best approval ratings when they’re elected, just follow my train of thought), when he was cutting stimulus checks and passing the child income tax credit. Materially benefitting American’s lives directly. The problem with elected Dems is that they don’t believe in economic liberalism because it puts them directly at odds with their donors who want to see the country continue with a minimum wage of $7.25, sparce union membership for large industries (retail, restaurant. etc.), and whatnot.
I say that to say, the country is not a center-right country. It may be a socially conservative country on the issue of faith and heritage, but I fully reject the framework of America being a center-right country. If the Dems could grow a pair of balls and fight for the economic issues that really mattered, you would see a resurgence of center-left voters winning majorities and putting the GOP on their heels.
To your other point of the Dem caucus being more to the left, I also disagree with because there is no reason for safe blue seats like (Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Washington, etc.) to not have extremely liberal to outright progressive senators from those states. GOP states elect Freedom Caucus-level members and blue state senators come ready to be Blue Dog/Problem Solver Caucus members. No problem with red state Dem senators being more moderate, or even the purple state senators (Wisconsin, Nevada, Montana, New Hampshire) being that way. So, there is no reason for Dem senators to be so moderate and the GOP senators be uber-conservative and the Dems from blue-states so weak and feckless.
I don’t say this to get into a back-and-forth on ideology in senate candidates, just that I think they could win more senate seats in places they normally couldn’t if they rebranded themselves as unapologetically left on economic issues while actually delivering for their voters. Just my 2 cents.
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I intentionally didn’t mention Ossoff & Warnock’s flips since they haven’t won re-election yet. But once they do, I’m sure they will be my new favorite flips & closest thing to the opposite of Tom Cotton. And oh man do I miss senator Al Fraken too. He was my number one favorite senator & if he tan again I would rush to donate to his campaign, I don’t care what state it’s in.
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I think Franken would have been effective with Brett Kavanaugh and Lindsey Graham. It was the Democrat PC machine that killed him.
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I totally agree @shawnee68. They didn’t even give him due process & forced him out. Still gets me mad to this day. He would have been phenomenal during the Trump years on the SJC. Losing him & Harris after she became VP of the SJC really hurt. I hope if Dems can pull off another senate miracle next year, we can get a heavy hitter to replace Feinstein.
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Warnock TECHNICALLY won reelection last year to start his official first 6-year term, and Ossoff will have to defend his seat in 2026 to win another 6-year term. But is there a reason you don’t consider it a flip until that newly elected senator wins reelection? Do you consider the first term to be a fluke until they win reelection?
I find myself watching old SJC hearings for supreme court nominees and my favorite one is his line of questioning with then-Judge Sonia Sotomayor. His unique style of humor and hard-hitting questions is something which is missed in the senate and of course on the SJC. Welch is dry as hell, and Booker just talks and talks and talks until he’s satisfied with sucking up enough oxygen. Ossoff is good at being thorough and no-nonsense, but Franken man, I could listen to him question a nominee for a good amount of time. He’ll more than likely never make a political comeback, but it was really good to have him at the time. I will forever hate former blue-dog caucus member Sen. Gilibrand for what she did to him.
There will undoubtedly be flips in senate races all across the country, so I’m curious who will be added to the list in the future.
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Oh I was just going on the initial conversation if Cotton flipping in his 30’s then winning re-election (Unopposed). So I was just considering Democrats who came close to doing the same.
I could listen to Fraken for days in the SJC too. Gillibrand will forever draw my anger for what she did. It makes me sick that both her & Hochul are statewide representatives of the second largest blue state.
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I didn’t say that the United States is a right wing country, just that in terms of the common electorate it leans to the right more than the left (thus a center-right nation). If everyone actually voted, it might be true that regarding what you are saying, but as we both know that is nowhere near the case. Not sure about the other states, but having spent time in CT and NY, I can say that the current senators in those states are good ideological fits. People around where I’m at don’t want a progressive bomb-thrower the way Alabama wants Freedom Caucus types.
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Not to be too disparaging here, but you quite literally started your response with “In a center-right country” which I’ve made quite clear that I fundamentally reject without any hesitation. Not sure how you can walk that back when that’s what you said, but nonetheless, I disagree with that notion.
Your anecdotal reasoning makes sense in the fact that the people you speak and spoke to may want “grown-ups” as elected officials and whatnot, and I think you may have misconstrued my point. When I draw a parallel to the Freedom Caucus and other extreme right-wing groups which vociferously advocate for their positions and are willing to burn the whole country to the ground in order to get what they want, I don’t wish for such a reckless group on the left. What I merely wish is for the Dems to grow a spine and to stop watering down legislation to the point that it becomes indistinguishable from what it was when it first was negotiated or thought through (BBB, ACA, Inflation Reduction Act, etc.)
I think there is a middle ground between progressive bomb thrower and feckless neoliberals which we currently have in the Senate. THAT is what I’m advocating for. I can admit that maybe the younger and more urban areas of NYC and CT are more progressive, but the rural and suburban areas are quite moderate and wouldn’t take kindly to a progressive bomb thrower. But it’s a good thing I’m not advocating for that :).
I just think overall that Dems spend too much time on their heels defending themselves from social issues where they’re deeply unpopular (guns, religion, transgender issues) and should go on offense to allow those Freedom Caucus members and back-bencher GOP senators to have to defend their insatiable quest to cut taxes on the rich (further), make healthcare unaffordable, etc.
We may have differing methods of achieving that, I can respect that. No excuse for moderate California senators though. Need those two to be the most left-wing senators in the country. Hawaii, Washington (also D.C if they ever become a state), Oregon, and California.
But I am unmoved in America being a center-right country. By default, when social issues and culture war shenanigans reign supreme that can happen. But the GOP hasn’t won the popular vote in a presidential election since 2004 and before that, hasn’t since 1988. Gerrymandering and consolidation of voters in densely populated districts make America look like a bastion of conservatism, but it is not.
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I guess I think there is a noted difference between the terms “center-right” and “right-wing”. I don’t think the United States is a right wing country, and get what you are saying regarding the issues and judiciary. Would a younger set of Democrats be more progressive and fight for more of that stuff? I’m not really sure, as for every AOC you have a Slotkin who is much more conservative (and is set to likely join the Senate in 2025 as well). Not to mention that the filibuster is very much still a thing and there is still a part of the party that is opposed (either openly or silently) to getting rid of it.
Fair point regarding the popular vote, but sadly we use an antiquated system known as the electoral college instead of that, so it skews the balance of the electorate towards conservatism.
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Now you got me thinking about who would replace Feinstein on the SJC… Welch replaced Leahy when he retired, so would it be plausible for Porter/Schiff/Lee to replace Feinstein on the SJC? Or would another ambitious Dem push to replace her instead? Like future incoming Sen. Slotkin? Or another Dem looking to increase his/her national profile? Or what?
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Every current Democrat has had the chance to join the SJC for the Ossoff & Welch seats except for Fetterman & chose not to. I doubt Fetterman wants it. My guess is if Dems pull if a senate miracle next year, I would look to one of the new senators to join. The only possibility I can see from a current senator would be Rosen after winning reelection next year but I doubt it.
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I find it amusing that there is such a clamoring for a spot on the SJC on the GOP side. If I remember correctly, newly elected Sen. Schmitt was practically begging for a SJC spot and was offering damn near anything to be put on that committee, but was otherwise turned down by the current members of the GOP side. I’m sure that the next time there is a GOP majority in the senate, that he’ll be one of the two added to the committee. (Ben Sasse was a member of the committee as well before he resigned, but they lose majority, so they had to vacate two spots I think.) Doesn’t seem like Se. Ricketts cares too much about judges since he’s rich as f*ck, so who knows what other newcomer will take that spot.
I would love to see Warnock on the SJC, I think he would do well right behind Ossoff. Other than him, maybe one of the newer Dems from Maryland will take the spot. I think if Alsobrooks wins the senate seat that she can find her way on that committee. If another male gets that slot, it’ll be a sausage fest on that committee lolol. The only women on the Dem side will be Klobuchar and Hirono. Need some more women representation and would be nice to get a Kamala-level aggressive questioner.
My money is on it going to Slotkin if they keep their majority, they seem to like putting freshman Dems at the backend of the committee (Kamala, Ossoff, Welch.)
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Not only did new senator Schmidt try to get on the SJC, he tried to get a senior senator to get nudged off. Not that I would have shed a tear to see Blackburn off, but no way Republicans were gonna let their only female get replaced by a male.
Slotkin would be my favorite if Dems hold 51 senators only after I see which two Democrats make it to the general in California. I don’t see Lee going to the SJC. I definitely believe it Schift is elected he is my outright favorite for the SJC. He would have seniority over Slotkin with California being more populous than Michigan.
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I haven’t heard of seniority being a critical factor in determining SJC assignments. The fact that Peter freaking Welch got a seat on the committee just tells me that there isn’t a line of Dem senators waiting to be on the committee unlike the GOP who see the committee as a way to fundraise and increase their national brand by raging about Dem judicial nominees.
I think whoever wants Feinstein’s SJC spot will have it unless both the new Cali senator and Slotkin both REALLY want it. Most newly elected Dems want to be on the Agriculture committee or Veteran’s affairs committee or Defense, etc. Dem senators aren’t as moved by judicial appointments and nominations as their GOP counterparts.
I’m aware of how seniority and tiebreaks work (I will forever find it hilarious that Ossoff is the senior senator over Warnock. I still remember them joking about it on twitter before they were sworn in.) I just don’t see any of the Dem senators creating a ruckus to be on the SJC, whoever wants it bad enough will end up on another C+ committee to make it fair so the “loser” has their pick of a committee which would help them “bring home the bacon” to their constituents.
Would love to see Katie Porter win the seat, but I fear Schiff has all the institutional backing and big donor money to totally swamp Porter and Lee in ads and whatnot. How fitting to go from Boxer & Feinstein (I think the first time in history to have 2 female senators serving at the same time) to Padilla and Schiff *barfs*.
Give me a chance to see a Sen. Porter in a senate budget committee hearing absolutely grilling a witness with her white board or even on the senate floor with a huge ass white board. YES. PLEASE
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The Thurs Business meeting is canceled this week
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/07/27/2023/executive-business-meeting
I just hope they keep Wed’s nomination hearing
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Durbin has COVID again, so that’s probably why the *business* meeting was canceled.
Tomorrow’s nominations meeting should not be canceled! You don’t need Durbin to preside over nomination hearings, whereas you need every prevent vote in business meetings.
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Well I wish Durbin a speedy recovery. no harm done missing the executive meeting since they are about to be out 5 weeks anyway. As long as the hearing goes forward Wednesday then that’s a good week for the SJC.
I’m forgot Christine O’Hearn wasn’t a voice vote, so I wasn’t counting that one for Blackburn, but I remember she received an actual vote. Makes me even madder about her nomination that we had to waste floor time to confirm her. I’m slightly surprised she voted for Regina Rodriguez & even more surprised about Zahid Quraishi.
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Quraishi received the most votes of any judicial nominee that hasn’t received a voice vote thus far.
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I’m assuming it’s another situation where they’ll agree to consider Edwards, Hadji, Long, and Maddox “held over” and vote on all of them after the recess? If that is the case then it seems like no big deal.
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Very good article from today outlining many of the frustrations some of us here have been venting about.
(https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/biden-should-pick-up-pace-on-choosing-judges-before-window-closes)
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6 nominees Wed, so that should clear the calendar of nominees sent to the senate
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/07/26/2023/nominations
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I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen six nominees in a SJC hearing.
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@Dequan
Brandy McMillion is one of the nominees. Expect some fireworks.
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Can you all imagine if the Senate was in session at 10 pm on a Tuesday confirming judges. What a wonderful dream that would be.
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Haaaaaa… I checked around 8pm & didn’t see the normal wrap up so I went to the live stream to see what was going on.I almost fell out my chair when I saw them still in session. Imagine what they could accomplish if they did that once a week…smh
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Glad to see that all six nominees are getting their hearing today. No need to waste any time.
Keeping my fingers crossed for some more nominees today but more than likely next week.
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Tomorrow will be the first day since Biden named his first batch that there will be no Article III nominees pending for a hearing. We really need a repeat of last Summer but I doubt we will see three new batches in a month, let alone in a week like we saw last year with this WHC office. I’m just hoping the next batch we get hopefully by the end of next week will be enough to fill the first September SJC hearing with a full slate of six nominees. 2 circuit & 4 district court nominees would be ideal.
I’m not too worried about the next batch having enough district court nominees. Vetting has to be completed by the end of next week for Nicholas Gowen/Karen Shelley for the NDIL, Jeffrey Bryan for MN, the three SDFL, Claire Connors for Hawaii & at least one of the three California vacancies. I’m hoping for a surprise nominee in the next batch as well.
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Did anybody else video cut off while Schumer was talking? Even the beginning of the SJC hearing was bad for me at least.
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This is the danger with bringing a knife to a gun fight, this is very unusual for a judge to do this!The blame falls squarely on senator coons and carper that allowed trump to appoint half of the active district court judges in Delaware, its a damn shame! Meanwhile we are still hoping to see the so called deal biden apparently ”got” on district court seats in texas by agreeing to nominate a nearly 60 year old moderate nominee, the republicans over strong opposition and they democrats go out of their way to be friendly. Even In ”liberal ”CA federal trump got to appoint several district judges too.
Patty murray and cantwell deserve all the plaudits and accolades for keeping the district court vacancies open and not allowing trump to fill it.
Its a damn shame so many democratic senators allowed conservative/federalist society judges to be put on their federal district courts.
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@aangren
While this was one of the two Trump judges on the Delaware district court, it was part of a package deal. She was actually the Democrat out of the two. Law 360 did an article after Biden was elected with 65 names to watch for Biden to name as a circuit court judge. She was one of the 65 names. I put the article below.
But I do agree with your points overall. Your point is actually my point for getting rid of blue slips. Only one side truly works in good faith. That’s why we get Federalist Society hacks on the district courts of blue states during Republican administrations while we get 59-year-old centrist on circuit courts during Democrat administrations.
(https://www.law360.com/articles/1338187/65-names-to-watch-when-biden-picks-circuit-judges)
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Agreed!
Would be nice for Biden, Schumer, and Durbin to play a little hard ball and nominate really young ACLU and SLPC lawyers to circuit judgeships all over the country and tell the home-state GOP senators to pound sand, but what about civility and bipartisanship? 😦
The only appropriate response to the brazen disrespect would be to nuke the blue slips and listen to the GOP senators bitch and moan about unfairness while Biden stacks their district court vacancies with young liberals keeping the state governments in check. Instead, we’ll get older white male moderate AUSA’s and be told that was the best we could get. UGHH
If Dems had the majority in the senate during a GOP president’s term and a conservative Justice like Alito or Thomas died or retired, I have 0 faith that they would hold the seat open or return fire with what was done to them and the country with coat hanger Justice Barrett. They’d line up to confirm a Justice Walker or a Justice Ho and be proud of themselves for keeping the government and supreme court functioning. No fight in them.
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That’s the problem with Biden negotiating for Ted state district court seats. As long as Durbin continues to be Leahy-ease when it comes to blue slips, Republican senators can simply say no. They can take their chance on a future president Trump & majority leader McConell filling the seats. It’s exactly why I said blue slips should be disbanded. Not the process of negotiating but the blue slips that can unilaterally allow a Republican senator from negotiating at all.
As for if a future Republican president has a SCOTUS vacancy with a Democrat senate & they fill the seat… Haaaaaaaaaaa
That would be the most insane thing ever. I’d throw in the towel at that point.
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Lmaooo right?!? My first instinct was to (correctly) cite the fact that a Dem majority in the senate confirmed Justice Thomas in 1990/1991. But then of course there were a shit ton of blue dog Dems in the senate: Richard Shelby, Tom Harkin, Lloyd Benson, etc., and the Senate was different back then. There were still elements of partisanship at times (Bork’s failed nomination, etc.) but there was cordiality and bipartisanship on both sides.
But now?? If a Dem majority in the senate confirms anyone right-of-center to the SCOTUS, I’ll probably stop voting altogether. What’s the point at that point if they just knife their base in the heart and still act like they’re fighting??
I have no faith in Schumer to look a future GOP Pres. Desantis or Trump or Hawley in the eyes and pull a Mitch McConnell “Mr. President, you will not fill this supreme court vacancy”. They would accept some moderate nominee and let 5-6 of the more moderate members in their caucus (Mark Warner, Jon Tester, Angus King, Bennett or Hickenlooper, and Mark Kelly) vote to confirm them.
On your Leahy-Durbin comparison… SPOT ON. Durbin is just a younger version of Leahy but has the exact same level of fight in them and is making the exact same mistake Leahy made allowing hack senators to block qualified nominees. Leahy refused to break with tradition and allowed multiple circuits, including the 5th circuit, to turn into the wild wild west under his watch. While Durbin is doing the exact same thing with district courts. Bet you McConnell becomes ML at some point in Biden’s presidency and refuses to hold confirmation votes for nominees in blue states, then when there’s a GOP president…. POOF! blue slips gone and FedSoc hacks all up and down blue state district courts. Not a moment of hesitation.
Colom should be the first shot across the bow for blue slips. No *legitimate* reason to oppose him other than some 2023 bullshit reason (“tHe tRanSgEnDerS aNd tHe QueErs”), I remember reading former Sen. Franken’s perspective of getting railroaded when Trump nominated David Stras to the 8th circuit. He was leaning against returning his blue slip for him because he was an uber-conservative. He said that then-chairman Grassley approached him and told him to at least meet with him, but also adding “your blue slip is not an automatic veto”. THAT IS THE ATTITUDE NECESSARY. Call up the Kansas and Indiana senators and tell them you’re nominating a young liberal state court judge and tell them to either meet with them or get run over.
Show some damn fight. Fight to rebalance SCOTUS, fight to rebalance some of the more lopsided circuit courts. Just. Damn. Fight. But no, after getting manhandled by McConnell and co., it seems like the only judges confirmed over the objections of home state senators will be Mathis and Johnston. Go ask Feinstein and former Sen. Harris how having Daniel Bress, Daniel Collins, Bumatay, and Kenneth Lee forced on their circuit court felt. Same for Murray & Cantwell with Eric Miller, and Rosen & Cortes-Masto with VanDyke. I could keep going.
Point is, they showed no mercy and neither should we. Abudu should’ve been the first of multiple young liberal AF lawyers on circuit courts across the country. Instead, we got some good ones on the 1st, 2nd and 9th, and just B+ everywhere else.
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Pretty much the entire hearing (from GOP senators standpoint) was grilling PA district judge nominee Karoline Mehalchick on times she was reversed by higher court… She had like 31 reversals out of about 1,100 cases..
Sen Hirono stood up for her saying that is about a 2.5% reversal rate.
Smooth sailing for the SDNY nominee, don’t think she got one question from GOP senators
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My video feed cut out when Schumer was talking so I didn’t get to see it. I’ll try to catch the replay later this week. But I saw at the beginning Graham still huffing & puffing over Hunter Biden.
I’m surprised they didn’t question Garnett much. I guess when you have nominees this bland & conventional, hammering somebody about 31 reversals out of 1100 cases is probably the most fireworks we will get.
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Q.: how many confirmation votes can we get tomorrow if Schumer files some cloture motions tonight?
My guess is only 2–cloture votes in the a.m., then confirmation votes after lunch. Not trying to be pessimistic (the pessimistic answer is 0), but without any filings so far this week, seems like we won’t get many, if any.
And this at a time when we might not have to worry about T. Scott or McConnell’s votes.
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There won’t be any more judicial confirmations before September unless there is some sort of unanimous consent agreement, or they reduce the summer vacation. Even if Schumer sent a cloture motion to the desk this minute, it takes 48 hours before they can vote for cloture. I think there is a better chance of the Sun rising from the West Friday then the senate to be in session to confirm judges on Friday unless something else causes them to still be in session.
Look for confirmations to start back in September. At this point, the only things judicial related we have to look forward to before then is another batch & any judges announcing they are stepping down.
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While the Senate is not confirming judicial or executive branch nominees, the WHC office and Biden’s staff should be out and about pressing Dem senators about providing names for their district court vacancies. They should also be in speedy negotiations with GOP senators about their district court nominees and giving them a timeline for when they should expect a list of names. Shit, give them a list of 12 names and tell them to choose 5 and negotiate. DO SOMETHING. No excuse to not be confirming nominees AND to not be in the process of vetting and interviewing potential nominees.
At the current pace they’re on, I’m beginning to doubt if they’ll reach 200 or 200 different individuals confirmed as judges. Really feels like Biden, Schumer, and Durbin are content reaching the high 100’s and calling it an excellent first-term for Biden. Granted, Trump did benefit from entering office with 50+ district and circuit judges along with the ultra-rare vacant SCOTUS seat. Regardless, 200 is within reach, but it requires putting the pedal to the metal. The blue states should be low-hanging fruit and easy to fill, and the circuit courts no longer require blue slips. Really shouldn’t be that hard to announce nominees for all remaining vacant circuit court seats (1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 10th) by the end of September, which allows the WHC and Biden to begin announcing deals for large state district court vacancies by the end of the year.
Absolutely no excuse to not have 5-8 district court judges confirmed in Texas by the end of Biden’s first term and getting 3-6 in Florida. Those should be gettable and of course pick your battles with reasonable GOP senators. Like Alaska, Maine, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Utah, etc. 200 is within reach, they just need to want it, and currently, it seems as if they’re content just falling short and trying again after 2024. God help us if McConnell is majority leader to start Biden’s second term. Doubly so if Justice Thomas keels over or decides to retire to stick it to liberals while his bestie McConnell is in power. Get ready for Justice Childs *yay*.
But yeah, pick up the pace ASAP!
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While I understand your frustration, what you are proposing simply isn’t how things work when it comes to negotiating in red states. I think getting to the number of judges Trump got to was always an unreasonable goal for Biden’s first term, simply due to the lack of openings when he got to office and blue slips still existing. If you want Biden to match that threshold, do what Kevin and shawnee have repeated ad nauseam and vote. Sadly, there aren’t many Republicans who are willing to negotiate in good faith for the district court seats. I don’t think Sullivan in AK or Lee in UT will be reasonable, to name a few.
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It’s almost 11pm & senator Warren is on the senate floor blasting Tuberville for his military hold. It sucks it takes a five week vacation starting Friday for them to hold Kate night sessions. This should be more frequent, especially with the increase of Mondays off.
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I still don’t understand how Schumer isn’t making the whole GOP turn against him. He controls the schedule of the senate and can basically keep the senate open all day and night if he really wanted to f*ck with the GOP to get them to force Tubbs/21st century George Wallace to lift his hold.
This is the kind of feigning helplessness that I hate in the elected Dem caucus. You are the goddamn ML, keep the senate in session every goddamn day until he lifts his bullshit hold.
“Don’t want to let these standard military promotions go through? No problem, we’ll just keep the floor open and let the clock run for debates for judicial nominees simultaneously. Every day the hold isn’t lifted, enough time has passed to have sufficient debate on a judge nominee, so now the senate will vote to confirm a new liberal judge. And you have the senior senator from Alabama to thank for that”. DO. SOMETHING.
I think this is just a ploy to fundraise and show how big, bad, and mean the GOP is, because I really can’t understand a bunch of career politicians are getting stifled by a racist ex-football coach who wasn’t good enough to cut it at Auburn lmaooooo.
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Thank you @dawsont825. I been said hold 8 hour sessions on Thursday & Friday & cancel the Summer recess until Tuberville releases his hold. And absolutely throw in one judge & non military nominee each day.
Start running ads thanking Tommy Tuberville for confirming more of Joe Biden liberal judges. Coordinate with Demand Justice, the American Constitution Society, Alliance for Justice & other liberal advocacy groups to put Tuberville’s face on their home page & have a counter on the side with how many liberal judges have been confirmed because of his hold that wouldn’t have been had he dropped it. You don’t have to worry about attendance issues for most of the votes because most of the military promotions will get confirmed with over 90 votes.
I can tell you with the upmost confidence that if GW Bush was president & the Republican majority leader was Bill Frist or Mitch McConnell, the Democrat hold would last about as long as an all day Star Wars marathon. The mere fact that Tuberville went to Bedminster to be with Trump when he got indicted & the Democrats didn’t even try for a unanimous consent, & then when asked Durbin said it was tempting but it’s against decorum to take advantage of a senator when they are out, shows you why the hold is still on going.
But don’t worry, next week we will get another batch of 4 – 6 bland conventional district court nominees. The best one will be Jeffrey Bryan for Minnesota. There won’t be any circuit court nominees because the Indiana senators are still working in good faith to get David Hollar to be the nominee for the 7th. Forget about the 10th because the Kansas senators want to hand pick the district court nominee. There won’t be one for the 4th because Cardin isn’t finished playing Russian Roulette with that seat. The 1st is out because the New Hampshire senators didn’t have a back up. And there won’t be one for the 3rd unless it’s Salas or Neals. Any other nominee will have to be rolled out of their nursing home to the SJC.
Just trying to brace everybody for the scraps we are going to get next week.
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I can’t even begin to explain how bass-ackwards it is to have career politicians and veterans of the Senate just sit back and allow fuckery like this to continue. THIS is the shit that I want future Dem senators to not allow and pushback on, or at least play goddamn politics and utilize this to their own benefit. Your idea of allying with tons of liberal advocacy groups is such a damn genius idea. Can you imagine the poor interns/staffers in Tubby’s Alabama offices having to take hundreds of calls per day from constituents pissed off at seeing his face next to Justice Kentaji Brown-Jackson and other liberal judges confirmed all across the country due to his hold? Just imagine if Dems had even the tiniest backbone.. would be nice. *sighs*
The fact that one senator can effectively put a hold on an entire process like this is absolutely nuts to me. Not to mention the “decorum” and “civility humping” going on in the chamber. You really are going to let him leave the Senate and come back to keep his hold because of norm and decorum? get the actual f*ck outta here.
I’m mentally prepared to be disappointed with the 10th circuit nominee. I don’t think Sen. Marshall is looking to negotiate in good faith for their vacant district court seat. Still blows my mind that a Democratic senator is holding a circuit court seat hostage because he isn’t getting his way with the nominee. You think Trump or McConnell would allow that kind of nonsense to continue?
I have no faith in getting anymore A+ nominees from Biden for the rest of his 1st term and really at all unless he talks Klain back into being chief judicial nomination liaison or something. We’re just going to get a steady stream of former prosecutors and senior partners in law firms with donations to various PACs, the DSCC and Biden’s reelection campaign. Gone are the days of Nancy Abudu, and Scott Colom, just more Melachick’s and Jennifer Halls’ along with more Reardon’s. I’m depressed.
Gonna get another older moderate lawyer for the 1st circuit, who has ties to Hassan and Shaheen (some lawyer they hired when they were Governor). Gonna get Salas or Neals for the 3rd circuit, or whichever career prosecutor they can find who’s JUST ready to retire before offering a lifetime judicial job. Gonna get some moderate prosecutor after Cardin wakes up in a good mood and decides to stop with the shenanigans. More than likely will get another Ramirez-type on the 7th after getting three C+ district court judges for Indiana’s 3 vacancies. And to top off Biden’s probable last circuit court vacancy, we’ll get someone that would’ve been suitable for Trump with the 10th. Disgusting.
I’m almost not excited to get the district court nominees for Florida and Texas within the next 6 months, but I guess they’re better than FedSoc hacks. The new Dem party slogan: “At least we’re not Republicans!”
Plz come back Ron Klain. Plz
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I think until biden finishes his first term in office with several appellate vacancies left open is when peoples eyes will finally be open to his sheer incompetence of him and this current white house counsel.
Still extremely bitter that biden allowed charlatans like cornyn and ted cruz who have no inkling of good faith in them to make him choose a 59 year old milquetoast moderate nominee. I truly believe irma ramirez is truly the worst of all of biden judical selection, worse than any other district court picks in NJ , especially in the context that there was no so called ”grand bargain or deal” got in the district court seats.
I predict the 7th circuit seat of late judge kanne would be unfilled by January 2025. The seat has been vacant for over a year and not a single inkling of any nominee.
The senators will string biden along hoping to buy time as much as possible until the election so desantis or trump can fill it with another 40 year old federalist society hack, and the white house the ever so gullible fools will go along for it. Absolute clowns.
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I’m curious, what inkling did we have that Pryor would be the nominee for the previous 7th Circuit opening? Just because we haven’t heard anything doesn’t mean that negotiations aren’t taking place.
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I am glad to say i was wrong in this case .
Nominees to the 10th and 7th circuit has been named. This is a good day.
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You beat me to it Aangren! I saw the article and read ir carefully just making sure it wasn’t an old article. So we have 4 new nominees – 2 Circuit, only 3 more to fill (1st, 3rd, 4th)
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/27/politics/judicial-nominees-biden-federal-bench/index.html
Ok Dequan, give me your A-F grades on these nominees !
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@Aangren
I’m happy you ended up being wrong too but I sure just say you had me scared you might end up right for a few months there… Lol
@Rick
Sure, here are my grades for each.
Joshua Kolar (c. 1977) – I haven’t found anything progressive in his background. He seems to be the run of the mill compromise nominee we were expecting. I’ll give him some good points for his military service & being in his mid 40’s. He’s been a magistrate judge for a few years now so we should be able to dive into his record more over the next couple months. Interesting note both of Biden’s for the 7th from Indiana have been magistrate judges… C
Richard Federico (c. 1977) – This was a surprisingly good pick for the 10th. Much better than I was expecting. A former federal defender in his mid 40’s makes me quite pleased. I’ll even give him some good points for his military service… A-
Jeffrey Bryan (c. 1976) – We have already spoken about him at length over the past month or so. Good to see Minnesota get its first Hispanic federal judge… A-
Eumi Lee (c. 1972) – She will be the first Korean judge on the court so good to see diversity. I love that she is unabashed in her work on criminal justice reform when she was a college professor. That brings her grade way up. But her being in her 50’s combined with so many more choices that were younger, more progressive & even AAPPI takes her grade down a lot… B
Overall this is the best batch since the election. Pleasantly surprised.
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Lucy Koh was the first Korean American judges at the 9th Circuit, and before that, she sat at the NDCA, so Eumi Lee must be the second one.
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@Rick
I am going to UP my grade for Joshua Kolar. I did some more research & see that he worked in the public defender’s office in Chicago before. It was a while back & for a short time but want to include that in my grade. Link below
(https://www.innd.uscourts.gov/content/magistrate-judge-joshua-p-kolar)
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@Rick
I am going to UP my grade for Joshua Kolar. I did some more research & see that he worked in the public defender’s office in Chicago before. It was a while back & for a short time but want to include that in my grade. Link below
(https://www.innd.uscourts.gov/content/magistrate-judge-joshua-p-kolar)
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