Judicial Nomination: Jeanne E. Davidson

On February 5, it had been announced that Jeanne E. Davidson has been nominated to serve in the United States Court of International Trade by President Obama himself, replacing Donald C. Pogue, who has retired from the position. The President lauded Davidson as having an excellent track record of service. Her nomination was received in the senate on January 7, 2015 and the Committee on Judiciary reported favorably about her.

Floor action was enacted on February 5 by Senator Grassly of the committee without a printed report and was later placed on Senate Executive Calendar No. 11.

Davidson served as Director of the Offices of Foreign Litigation and International Legal Assistance. She’s also had some experience in the International Trade Field Office in the Commercial Litigation Branch at the United States Department of Justice. She’s currently the President of the Federal Circuit Bar Association.

Last month, Alfred E. Bennet of Texas was nominated as well, to the United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, replacing the retired judge Kenneth M. Hoyt. Another resident from Texas, George C. Hanks, was also put forward for a similar position as Bennet’s colleague, taking the place of Nancy Friedman Atlas.

Judge nominations are typically done by the president and go through an intricate process, where each candidate is assessed by the senate before becoming an official nominee. After which, they will have to await confirmation based on the evaluation of the members of the Committee on Judiciary. After all that, the candidate will then hold office as justice of that particular court.

Assuming a number of judges will retire this year, there will also be an influx of nominees to replace them. Considering that the term of justices will only end when they retire or pass away, the process of choosing a new judge will have to take some time before a decision is made.