Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Four Judicial and Executive Nominees to the Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced four judicial and executive nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work filling judicial and executive vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system.

“We just advanced four highly qualified nominees to lifetime judgeships and an executive position in the White House, including two circuit court nominees who received blue slips from both of their Republican home state Senators. Mr. Federico’s and Judge Kolar’s nominations show that members of both parties can come to the table, quickly fill judicial seats, and ensure swift access to justice in our communities,” said U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In an exchange with Ranking Member Graham at the top of the hearing, Durbin called out House Republicans’ hypocrisy for barreling towards a government shutdown while refusing to work with Democrats on bipartisan immigration reform:

“If the government shuts down, all of the law enforcement officers under this committee's jurisdiction – federal prosecutors, FBI, and border control agents – will go unpaid, thanks to Congress' failure, and grants to state and local law enforcement agencies will stall,” said Durbin. “House Republicans need to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open and then come to the table and work on bipartisan solutions to fix the broken immigration system.”

Following the confirmation of Judge Rita Lin to the Northern District of California, the Senate has confirmed 143 judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench under Chair Durbin and during the Biden administration. Twenty-six lifetime judges – including four circuit court nominees and twenty district court nominees – are eligible for a vote on the Senate floor.

The following nominees advanced by the indicated vote totals:

• Richard E.N. Federico, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit: 13-8
• Joshua Paul Kolar, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit: 16-5
• Jeffrey M. Bryan, to be United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota: 13-8
• Deborah Robinson, to be Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Executive Office of the President: 13-8

An archived video of today’s hearing can be found here.

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