The White House yesterday announced a new batch of nominees for federal judgeships and US Attorney slots. There was only one circuit nominee, and it was for the Tenth Circuit, not for either of the two current openings on the Third Circuit.
There were, however, five nominees for district court seats within the Third Circuit, and one of them is a former Third Circuit clerk: Colm Connolly, nominated for D.Del., who clerked for Judge Stapleton. The other four nominees for district judgeships within the Third Circuit:
- Susan Paradise Baxter, W.D. Pa.
- Marilyn Jean Horan, W.D. Pa.
- Chad Kenney, E.D. Pa.
- Maryellen Noreika, D.Del.
It’s tremendous to see that three of these five nominees are women. Two of the nominees — Baxter and Horan — were previously nominated by President Obama; both were reported out of the Judiciary Committee on voice votes but never got full-Senate votes.
Also in this batch nominees was William McSwain for US Attorney for E.D. Pa. McSwain is a former clerk for Judge Rendell.
Senators Toomey and Casey issued statements applauding the Pa. nominations, as reported by YourErie.com here. Says the article:
Since Senator Toomey joined the Senate in 2011, Senators Toomey and Casey have worked together, in a bipartisan fashion, to fill vacancies on the federal bench in Pennsylvania. Together, they have vetted, recommended, and confirmed 14 Federal District Court Judges and two Circuit Court Judges for Pennsylvania. Only two states – California and New York – have had more judges confirmed to their federal benches during this time.