Three nominees confirmed to Article III judgeships

The U.S. Senate on Oct. 26 confirmed three of President Joe Biden’s (D) federal judicial nominees to lifetime Article III judgeships:

1. Jia Cobb, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, by a vote of 52-45
2. Patricia Tolliver Giles, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, by a vote of 68-27
3. Karen McGlashan Williams, to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, by a vote of 56-38

To date, 23 of Biden’s appointees have been confirmed. For historical comparison since 1981, the following list shows the date by which the past six presidents had 23 Article III judicial nominees confirmed by the Senate:

1. President Donald Trump (R) – Jan. 11, 2018
2. President Barack Obama (D) – May 5, 2010
3. President George W. Bush (R) – Dec. 11, 2001
4. President Bill Clinton (D) – Nov. 20, 1993
5. President George H.W. Bush (R) – March 9, 1990
6. President Ronald Reagan (R) – Nov. 18, 1981

As of this writing, five Article III nominees are awaiting a confirmation vote from the U.S Senate, nine nominees are awaiting a Senate Judiciary Committee vote to advance their nominations to the full Senate, and 13 nominees are awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

One nominee, Jennifer Sung, was not reported favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. The committee held hearings on her nomination on Sept. 14 and cast a tie vote on reporting her nomination to the Senate on Oct. 21. The Senate must discharge her nomination from the committee in order for it to be considered. Biden nominated Sung to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 13.

Additional reading:

• Judicial vacancies during the Biden administration
• Judicial vacancies in federal courts
• Current federal judicial vacancies

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