Federal

Legal logjam leaving judges' seats empty in federal courts

Almost one in eight federal judgeships is vacant in the country and legal scholars warn that the increasingly politicized confirmation process threatens the administration of justice across the nation.

Republicans block Bay Area judicial nominees

Senate Republicans have blocked confirmation votes on two Bay Area judicial nominees, Goodwin Liu and Edward Chen, and returned the nominations to President Obama, who must decide whether to resubmit them when Congress returns from recess next month.

Colorado's chief federal judge says vacancies on bench are impeding judicial process

Chief U.S. District Judge Wiley Y. Daniel has asked the U.S. Senate to expedite a vote on filling a Colorado federal court vacancy, saying a shortage of judges is impeding the public's access to justice.

Obama pushes confirmation of judges

President Barack Obama called on the Senate today to vote on long-stalled nominees for the federal judiciary -- dipping a toe into an issue that has appeared relatively low among his priorities.

ABA: Federal judgeships need filled

American Bar Association President Carolyn Lamm says the increasing number of vacancies in the nation's lower federal courts is affecting the efficiency and fairness of the justice system.

Nealon, Minora, Mariani to be submitted for nomination to federal bench

The names of two Lackawanna County judges and a well-known local labor lawyer are being submitted to the White House for nomination to three openings on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, sources said Wednesday.

More senators rely on committees to screen future judges

An increasing number of U.S. senators are setting up committees in their home states to evaluate potential federal judges, yet little is known about how those panels operate, according to a new report.

Nomination delaying tactic irks senators

It seemed the most unremarkable of votes.

Push for court diversity hits snag

President Obama came into office determined to stop the rightward shift of the federal courts after eight years of appointments by President Bush and to add more diversity to the bench.

Santa Clara County judge becomes first Asian-American federal judge in Bay Area history

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Lucy Koh was confirmed Monday to a federal judgeship in San Jose, making her the first Asian-American to ever gain a spot on the Bay Area federal bench.

Leahy urges faster pace on approving Obama's judicial nominees

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Ver., sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., Wednesday, urging them to move forward with more than two dozen judicial nominations that have been reported by the Judiciary Committee but not yet scheduled for...

Court vacancy causes stir

The Obama administration is considering a Washington, D.C., attorney and former adviser to the president's campaign to fill an appeals court vacancy created by the resignation of veteran Judge Robert Henry of Oklahoma, the Tulsa World has learned.

Shaping of judiciary key part of Specter's legacy

Sen. Arlen Specter's half-century in public life will be remembered by many for highlights like his service on the Warren Commission and the leading roles he played in blocking Judge Robert Bork from being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court and preventing Justice Clarence Thomas from meeting the same fate.

R.I. judicial nominee haunted by business accusations of prejudice

It is not clear whether John F. McConnell Jr. s prospects for a federal judgeship have diminished since the U.S. Chamber of Commerce took the extraordinary step Tuesday of calling for the rejection of the Providence lawyer s nomination.

Diverse Obama picks changing face of federal judiciary

Lost in the gathering debate over President Barack Obama's next Supreme Court pick, a profound shift in the federal judiciary is taking place below the high court.

Delegates nominate judge for US court

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy has been recommended to replace retiring U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby.

Federal judge in Lynchburg set to take senior status

The Virginia State Bar is set to interview candidates Monday to fill a vacancy left when Lynchburg-based U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon takes senior status on July 1.

Democratic senators urge action now on Obama's judicial nominees

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee lashed out at Senate Republicans on Tuesday for holding up confirmation votes on President Obama's judicial nominees.

Battle brews over Obama nominee for 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

Senate Democrats rejected on Tuesday a Republican demand that next week's scheduled confirmation hearing on Goodwin Liu's nomination to a federal appeals court be postponed, setting up an all-out partisan battle over the Berkeley law professor.

Obama continues to lag when it comes to judges

The Obama administration has a good shot at setting a couple of modern indoor records for a president halfway through his first term: fewest number of judicial nominees and, with strong assistance from Senate Republicans, fewest number of judges placed on the bench.

Law professor Goodwin Liu may be test case for Obama judicial picks

Liberal legal activists came away from last summer's confirmation hearings on Sonia Sotomayor with an empty feeling.

Senate confirms Thompson for federal bench

The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to seat Rhode Island Superior Court Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.

House considers judge’s impeachment

The House will take up the impeachment on Friday of a Louisiana federal judge accused of seeking and accepting bribes and perjury, the majority leader, Steny Hoyer, said on Tuesday.

Former law dean, gubernatorial candidate picked for 10th Circuit

Scott Matheson Jr., a former law dean at the University of Utah and the runner-up in that state's 2004 race for governor, has been nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, the White House said today.

Obama zeros in on law professor for 9th Circuit post

President Obama will nominate UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, The Times has learned.

Obama nominates Judge Chatigny for Second Circuit seat

U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny was nominated for a seat on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals today by President Obama.

Judge Thomas Porteous impeachment moves forward in U.S. House

No official word yet, but some congressional staffers are expecting the House this week to take up four articles of impeachment against embattled U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous.

Senate Republicans wage stealth war over judges

The scene has become familiar in the U.S. Senate: A nominee for a federal judgeship lingers for months without a confirmation vote, held up by an anonymous objection, but, when the roll is eventually called, not a single senator votes against the nominee.

Judiciary members to query LV lawyer

Las Vegas attorney Gloria Navarro is one of six nominees scheduled to appear today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Judicial nominees advance in Senate

The nominations of North Carolina judges Albert Diaz and James Wynn overwhelmingly passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, putting them on track for confirmation by the full Senate.

House panel votes to proceed with impeaching judge

The House Judiciary Committee took another step Wednesday toward removing U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous from office, voting unanimously to recommend his impeachment.

Judge Thomas Porteous should be impeached, task force votes

A House task force voted 8 - 0 Thursday to recommend that Judge Thomas Porteous of the U.S. District Court in New Orleans be impeached.

Senate confirms Martin as federal appeals court judge in Atlanta

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday unanimously confirmed President Barack Obama's nominee, Beverly Martin, for a seat on the federal appeals court in Atlanta.

Slow going in Senate for DOJ, judicial nominees

New leadership takes over this week in President Barack Obama's legal shop, and among the challenges facing incoming White House Counsel Robert Bauer is how to reinvigorate the administration's efforts to shape the federal judiciary.