The Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Bernice B. Donald to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by a vote of 96-2. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) hailed her confirmation, but chastised the slow progress of the confirmation process in a statement.
I continue to urge the Senate to join together to end the judicial vacancies crisis that concerns Chief Justice Roberts, the President, the Attorney General, bar associations and chief judges around the country. I hope that this month Senators will finally join together to begin to bring down the excessive number of vacancies that have persisted on Federal courts throughout the Nation for far too long. We can and must do better. Vacancies are being kept high, consensus nominees are being delayed and it is the American people and the Federal courts that are being made to suffer.
President Obama made two judicial nominations this week: Gregg Costa of Texas was nominated to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas and Stephanie Thacker of West 
Virginia to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on four district court nominees and one appeals court nominee. To see a list of the judges, click here. It also moved 12 judicial nominations forward, voting all of the nominees out of committee by voice vote. To see a list of the judges, click here.
- “Rockefeller, Manchin tout Groh for confirmation,” from The West Virginia Record
- “Obama faces crucial period for judicial nominations,” from MSNBC
- “First African-American Woman on 6th Circuit,” from The Kansas City Star
The Latest from “Recommended Readings"
- “Obama Faces Crucial Period for Judicial Nominations,” from Reuters
- “Will Obama Push for Judicial Confirmations this Fall?,” from The Washington Post
- “Empty Federal Judicial Benches Pose Crisis,” from The Houston Chronicle
- Sen. Murkowski on Judicial Nominations
- Sen. Leahy on Confirmation of Bernice Donald
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