This afternoon, the United States Senate held a vote on two of President Obama's nominees for Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and Berks County's own, Jeffrey L. Schmehl.
In November of last year, Senators Toomey and Casey identified Judges Quiñones and Schmehl as part of a bipartisan package of three nominees submitted to the President for consideration. Nearly seven months later, the Senators took to the podium and encouraged their colleagues to vote for confirmation. Senator Casey extolled the nominees' experience and temperament, and praised Judge Schmehl for laboring for 15 years in the "vineyards" of the judicial system.
After a voice vote on Judge Quiñones, and a unanimous 100-0 roll call vote on Judge Schmehl, both were confirmed and will likely receive their respective commissions within four weeks. Congratulations to both Judges on advancing through the arduous, lengthy, and invasive vetting process to be elevated to one of our nation's highest courts. We wish both the best of luck in their new endeavors, and welcome the opportunity for a qualified member of the local bar to replace Judge Schmehl on the County bench in the 2015 municipal election.
Hopefully, the third member of Toomey and Casey's Eastern District nomination package, United States Magistrate Judge L. Felipe Restrepo, receives his confirmation vote in the very near future.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
