Senate resumes judicial nominations for the week of May 7

The Senate will be focusing exclusively on judicial nominations this week, all of which are Court of Appeals nominations.

1 to the 5th Circuit
1 to the 6th Circuit
3 to the 7th Circuit
1 to the 10th Circuit

Added to the 15 Court of Appeals nominees already in place, that would bring Trump to 21 Court of Appeals Judges.

3rd Circuit: 1 Trump Judge in place.
5th Circuit: 3 Trump Judges in place, 1 about to come on board.
6th Circuit: 3 Trump Judges in place, 1 about to come on board.
7th Circuit: 1 Trump Judge in place, 3 about to come on board.
8th Circuit: 3 Trump Judges in place.
10th Circuit: 1 Trump Judge in place, 1 about to come on board.
11th Circuit: 2 Trump Judges in place.
D.C. Circuit: 1 Trump Judge in place.

Trump has not appointed any Judges to the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th or Federal Circuits.

The 5th & 8th Circuits were already conservative dominated, nevertheless, they will likely become even more noticeably conservative. Trump has shifted the balance of power on the 6th and 7th Circuits from liberal to conservative. Trump has not made a noticeable impact on the other Courts of Appeals to which he has successfully appointed Judges to this point.

<Note to Mods: The following quoted material is from the Senate Daily Press Gallery and as a work of the Federal Government is in the public domain.>

The Senate will convene at 3:00 pm. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to resume consideration of Executive Calendar #673, Kurt D. Engelhardt, of Louisiana, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.

At 5:30 pm the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Engelhardt nomination

Majority Leader McConnell has also filed cloture on the following nominations:

Michael Brennan to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit
Joel Carson III to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 10th Circuit
John Nalbandian to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 6th Circuit
Michael Scudder to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit
Amy St. Eve to be a United States Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit
The cloture motions on each nomination will ripen one at a time, after disposition of the previous nomination. Each is subject to up to thirty hours of post-cloture debate.

Below is a summary of votes and proceedings on judicial nominations this week.

<Note to Mods: Any material below that is quoted came from the Senate Daily Press Gallery and thus is in the public domain.>

Monday the 7th:

6:11 p.m. By a vote of 64-31, cloture was invoked on the Engelhard nomination.

Senators voting in favor: 48 Republicans, 15 Democrats: Bennet, Carper, Coons, Donnelly, Feinstein, Heitkamp, Jones, Klobuchar, Leahy, Manchin, McCaskill, Murphy, Nelson, Tester, Warner; 1 Independent: King.

Senators voting against: 30 Democrats, 1 Independent: Sanders

Senator not voting: Duckworth, Graham, Isakson, McCain and Merkley.

Nothing happened on Tuesday the 8th.

Wednesday the 9th.

1:05 p.m. On a party line vote of 49-47, cloture was invoked on the nomination of Michael Brennan to be a US Circuit court judge for the 7th circuit.

Senators not voting: 2 Democrats (Donnelly and Duckworth), 2 Republicans (Graham and McCain).

12:37 p.m. Roll call vote began on cloture on the nomination of Michael Brennan to be a US Circuit court judge for the 7th circuit.

12:36 p.m. The Engelhardt nomination was confirmed 62-34.

Senators in favor: Republicans, 12 Democrats (Bennet, Coons, Heitkamp, Jones, Klobuchar, Leahy, Manchin, McCaskill, Murphy, Nelson, Tester and Warner; 1 Independent: King.

Senators voting against: 33 Democrats, 1 Independent: Sanders.

Senators not voting: Donnelly, Duckworth, Graham, McCain.

Schedule for Thursday the 10th.

12:00 noon - 2 roll call votes
Confirmation of Michael Brennan to be Judge for the 7th Circuit
Cloture Joel Carson to be Judge for the 10th Circuit

1:45 p.m.—1 roll call vote
Cloture on John Nalbandian to be Judge for the 6th Circuit

Today’s action in the Senate:

1:14 p.m. Cloture was invoked on the Carson nomination, 71-24.

Senators in favor: 49 Republicans, 21 Democrats: Bennet, Carper, Donnelly, Durbin, Feinstein, Hassan, Heinrich, Heitkamp, Jones, Kaine, Leahy, Manchin, McCaskill, Murphy, Nelson, Schatz, Schumer, Shaheen, Tester, Udall and Warner; 1 Independent: King.

Senators voting against: 23 Democrats, 1 Independent: Sanders.

Senators not voting: 3 Democrats: Booker, Coons and Duckworth; 2 Republicans: Graham and McCain.

12:43 p.m. Roll call vote began on cloture on the Carson nomination.

12:42 p.m. The Brennan nomination was confirmed on a party line tally of 49-46.

Senators not voting: Booker, Coons, Duckworth, Graham and McCain.

12:00 p.m. Roll Call vote began on confirmation of Michael Brennan to be a judge for the 7th Circuit.

Cloture was also invoked on John Nalbandian’s nomination, but I don’t have the vote data yet.

Also, there was action in the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning.

Kind of interesting that the only two dissenters on Bennett’s nomination are Republican.

Mark Jeremy Bennett, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit
REPORTED: 18-2
YEA: Grassley, Hatch, Graham (proxy), Cornyn, Lee, Flake (proxy), Crapo, Tillis,
Kennedy, Feinstein, Leahy, Durbin (proxy), Whitehouse (proxy), Klobuchar, Coons
(proxy), Blumenthal, Hirono, Harris
NAY: Cruz, Sasse
ABSENT: Booker
Nancy E. Brasel, to be United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota
VOICE VOTE: REPORTED
Robert R. Summerhays, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of
Louisiana
VOICE VOTE: REPORTED
Eric C. Tostrud, to be United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota
VOICE VOTE: REPORTED
Andrew S. Oldham, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit
HELD
Alan D. Albright, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas
HELD
Thomas S. Kleeh, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of West
Virginia
HELD
Peter J. Phipps, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of
Pennsylvania
HELD
Michael J. Truncale, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas
HELD
Wendy Vitter, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana
HELD