Senate Agrees to Vote on Ed Chen, Nearly Two Years After His Nomination

Last night, the Senate agreed to hold a confirmation vote on the nomination of Edward Milton Chen to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, avoiding a possible cloture vote on his nomination. An exact time for the vote has not yet been set, but it has a good chance of happening next week.

The agreement to vote on his nomination states:

“At a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Republican Leader, there will be 3 hours of debate on the Chen nomination, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on confirmation of the Chen nomination.”

Republicans consented to the vote after losing a cloture vote on the nomination of Jack McConnell earlier this week. The agreement to vote on Judge Chen’s nomination is a victory for Senators Feinstein and Boxer, who have strongly supported his nomination.

Judge Chen is currently the longest pending judicial nominee, having been nominated on August 6th, 2009. If confirmed, he would become the second Asian American ever to serve in the Northern District of California, which includes San Francisco.

For the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on judicial nominations, visit the Alliance for Justice’s Judicial Selection Project webpage.