Senators seemingly abandoned their reputation for partisan bickering last month when they confirmed 15 nominees to the federal courts.
Among the October confirmations were two appellate court nominees, Henry Floyd to the 4th Circuit and Stephen Higginson to the 5th Circuit. The Senate also confirmed 13 district court nominees, including three nominees for New York federal courts and three nominees for Pennsylvania federal courts.
The Senate also filled a spot in an Arizona district court that was left vacant when Judge John Roll was killed in January at an event hosted by U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
Although the Senate has confirmed about 115 of President Obama’s nominees to date, Thomson Reuters reports that there are still roughly 85 federal court vacancies that the administration needs to fill as the president nears the end of his term. According to the White House, votes by the full Senate take an average of 100 days after judiciary committee approval.
Twenty-two nominees are awaiting Senate confirmation. The Senate judiciary committee is scheduled to vote on five nominees tomorrow.
