Senate confirms Biden's first judicial nominee
By Jordain Carney - 06/08/21 12:55 PM EDT
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Biden’s first judicial nominee as Democrats look to make their mark on the federal courts.
The Senate voted 66-33 on Julien Neals’ nomination to be a judge for the District of New Jersey.
The Senate is also expected to confirm a second judicial nominee, Regina Rodriguez to be a district judge for the District of Colorado, later Tuesday.
“The Senate today will achieve an important milestone for the session: we will confirm the first of President Biden’s judicial nominees. The first, but certainly not the last, not even close,” Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said ahead of the vote.
“I greatly look forward to confirming what will be the first of many judicial appointments during the Biden Administration,” Schumer added.
Former President Obama nominated Neals to serve on the district court but his nomination languished in 2015 in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The Senate currently has five judicial nominees available for floor votes including Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to succeed Attorney General Merrick Garland on the D.C. Circuit.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/557356-senate-confirms-bidens-first-judicial-nominee