Judiciary Watch

Senate confirms Lexington lawyer to Kentucky courts

The Senate yesterday voted 96 to 1 to confirm Claria Horn Boom to the federal bench in the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky.  Boom is a 1994 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School and a former U.S. Attorney in Kentucky.  She has been a member of the Lexington firm Frost Brown Tood LLC since 2006, where her practice included representing various banks in commercial lending transactions, complicated workouts, and other corporate and regulatory matters.  She also represented various businesses, pipeline companies, and insurance companies in transactional matters. 

Senate confirms Doughty to federal bench in Louisiana

By a unanimous vote, the Senate confirmed Terry A. Doughty to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.  Doughty is a former Assistant District Attorney in Rayville, LA and has been a judge in Louisiana’s Fifth Judicial District since 2009.By a unanimous vote, the Senate confirmed Terry A. Doughty to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.  Doughty is a former Assistant District Attorney in Rayville, LA and has been a judge in Louisiana’s Fifth Judicial District since 2009.

Self and Scholer confirmed to federal district courts in Georgia and Texas

The Senate yesterday confirmed Tilman Eugene Self, III to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia and Karen Gren Scholer to the Northern District of Texas.  Self sat on the Superior Court of Georgia from 2007 to 2016, and has been a judge for the Georgia Court of Appeals since 2017.  Prior to taking the bench he was in private practice in Macon.  Scholer comes to the bench from private practice in Dallas and was also an arbitrator and mediator with the American Arbitration Association.  She was previously a state court district judge and a justice on the Texas Court of Appeals.

Senate confirms Greenville lawyer Quattlebaum to federal bench

The Senate, by a 69 to 28 vote, confirmed Arthur M. Quattlebaum, Jr. to the District Court for South Carolina.  Quattlebaum has been a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Greenville, SC since 1997, where the majority of his practice was the defense of product liability actions with an emphasis on representing tire manufacturers.

Senate confirms Georgia judge to 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

The Senate yesterday confirmed Elizabeth Lee Branch to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals by a 73 to 23 vote.  Prior to taking the bench, Branch was in private practice with the Atlanta firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell, where her focus was primarily on commercial litigation.  Most recently, from 2012 to 2018, Branch was a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Senate confirms Minnesota judge to 8th Circuit

The Senate yesterday confirmed Hon. David R. Stras to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit by a 56 to 42 vote.  Stras has been an Associate Justice on the Minnesota Court of Appeals since 2010 and is a former law clerk to US. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.  Stras, a 1999 graduate of the Univ. of Kansas School of Law, spent much of his career as an academic involved in providing public analysis and commentary on important legal issues involving the U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate courts.

Senate confirms two to federal courts

The Senate yesterday confirmed Michael L. Brown to the federal bench in the Northern District of Georgia by a 92 to 0 vote. Brown is a 1994 graduate of the Univ. of Georgia School of Law and former law clerk to Hon. J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit. He has been at King & Spaulding since 2005, where his practice focused on white collar criminal defense. The Senate also confirmed Hon. Walter D. Counts, II, by a 90 to 1 vote, to the district court for the Western District of Texas. Counts has been a U.S. Magistrate judge in Midland since 2009. Prior to taking the bench, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and is a member of the Texas National Guard.

Memphis lawyer Tommy Parker confirmed to district court

The Senate yesterday confirmed Tommy Parker to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by a 98 to 0 vote.  Parker is a 1989 graduate of Vanderbilt Univ. School of Law and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Tennessee.  He was a shareholder with the Memphis firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz since 2004, where his practice included representing corporate and individual clients in civil and criminal litigation. 

Senate confirms Nashville lawyer Campbell to federal bench

The Senate yesterday confirmed William L. Campbell, Jr. to the District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by a 97 to 0 vote.  Campbell is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Univ. of Alabama School of Law.  He has had a general business and commercial litigation practice in Nashville since 2003 with the firms Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC and Frost Brown Todd, LLC.

Kozinski retires from bench amid sexual misconduct allegations

Hon. Alex Kozinski, who has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit since 1985, retired in December amid allegations of sexual misconduct from at least 15 women. He apologized for his actions, but cited his "broad sense of humor and a candid way of speaking to both male and female law clerks alike."  He said that he "may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace." A formal inquiry into the allegations began earlier in the month.  In a statement, Kozinski said he could not "be an effective judge and simultaneously fight this battle."