Troy L. Nunley is back to waiting for the full U.S. Senate to finally vote on his nomination as a badly needed reinforcement for the federal district centered in Sacramento.
The Senate Judiciary Committee forwarded his name on a voice vote today. It signed off on his nomination in December, but the Senate adjourned before voting. That forced Nunley and 10 other judicial nominees awaiting floor votes to start over. As The Bee's editorial board noted, they are casualties of the partisan wars in Congress.
President Barack Obama renominated Nunley on the same day the new Senate took office last month. Nunley has been waiting since last June, when Obama first nominated him. He is a former prosecutor who is now a judge on the Sacramento Superior Court. He would fill a vacancy in the Eastern District of California, which is in an official judicial emergency because of case backlogs.
The Judiciary Committee also acted today on Beverly Reid O'Connell, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge nominated for a seat in the Central District. William H. Orrick III, a nominee for the Northern District, wasn't as fortunate. His nomination was held over.
UPDATE: Sen. Barbara Boxer of California applauded the committee action. She recommended O'Connell, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein suggested Nunley.
"These are both outstanding judges who would serve in judicial emergency districts with some of the heaviest caseloads in the nation," Boxer said in a statement. "We owe it to the millions of Californians who live in these areas to confirm these talented nominees without delay."
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