The Senate has confirmed nine judges this week. This is the highest one-week total, according to Above the Law, since the current session of Congress began. The Senate confirmed two federal judges to the District of Maryland. According to the National Law Journal, Theodore Chuang, former Deputy General Counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security who was confirmed in a 53-42 vote, and George Hazel, former Chief Deputy State’s Attorney for Baltimore, Maryland were the last of eight district court judges and one circuit court judge—Michelle Friedland for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit—who were confirmed by the Senate this week. On August 1, 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Friedland to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Friedland is currently the youngest serving federal appellate court judge in the nation. At age 41, Judge Friedland ranks fourth among the youngest appointees to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said in a statement that, “George Hazel has been a key participant in the successful effort to reduce violent crime in Maryland through a coordinated focus on repeat offenders and gangs.” According to The National Law Journal, Rosenstein commented, “He demonstrates the intelligence, creativity, collegiality and work ethic that are the hallmarks of an exceptional public servant.”
The National Law Journal reported that, the Senate has also confirmed six federal district judges: Sheryl Lipman for the Western District of Tennessee; Stanley Bastian for the Eastern District of Washington; Manish Shah for the Northern District of Illinois; Daniel Crabtree for the District of Kansas; Cynthia Bashant for the Southern District of California; and Jon Levy for the District of Maine. That was the highest reported one week total for confirmations during the session of Congress that started in January 2013.
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