Senators Confirm 15 Judges in Final Votes Before Midterm Elections

Senators cast their final votes in advance of the midterm elections on Thursday by confirming 15 federal judges and several executive branch nominees. The flurry of confirmations allows a number of senators in tight re-election battles to put their work in the Capitol behind them and hit the campaign trail.

The chamber’s leaders, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), struck a deal to allow votes on the confirmation of roughly the number of judges that could’ve been confirmed between now and Election Day had the Senate remained in session and Democrats used the procedural roadblocks available to them.

Faced with Republicans keeping the Senate in session for another week or two to process additional nominations, Schumer and Democrats opted to take a deal that’d allow senators in close re-election contests to go home and campaign. One such lawmaker, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), missed Thursday’s votes to campaign while others like Sens. Mike Donnelly (D-IN), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) would’ve faced similar decisions had the Senate remained in session.

Of the 15 judges confirmed Thursday, three were to circuit courts while the remaining 12 were to district courts. Will one of the judges be coming to a courthouse near you? Here’s the list:

• Nomination of David Porter to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Confirmed 50-45.
• Nomination of Ryan Nelson to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Confirmed 51-44.
• Nomination of Richard Sullivan to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit Confirmed 79-16.
• Nomination of William Ray II to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia Confirmed 54-41.
• Nomination of Liles Burke to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama Confirmed 55-40.
• Nomination of Michael Juneau to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana Confirmed 54-41.
• Nomination of Mark Saalfield Norris, Sr. to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee Confirmed 51-44.
• Nomination of Eli Richardson to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee Confirmed 52-43.
• Nomination of Thomas Kleeh to be U.S. District for the Northern District of West Virginia Confirmed 65-30.
• Nomination of Peter Phipps to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania Confirmed by voice vote.
• Nomination of Susan Brnovich to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona Confirmed by voice vote.
• Nomination of Chad Kenney to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Confirmed by voice vote.
• Nomination of Jeremy Kernodle to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas Confirmed by voice vote.
• Nomination of James Hanlon to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana Confirmed by voice vote.
• Nomination of Lance Walker to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Maine Confirmed by voice vote.

(If you’re wondering who the two absent senators aside from Heitkamp were, Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) were in their home state to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence ― more on that here.)

You can see the other nominees who were confirmed today at our latest This Week in Congress post.

Tell your senators whether you support these nominations and what you want to see addressed when they return after the election, then share your thoughts below!

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / sharrocks)