March 15, 2017 – The Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission, charged with making recommendations for vacancies in federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions, is accepting applications for vacancies on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Applications are due April 29, 2017. Application instructions and materials are available on the Federal Nominating Commission’s page on WisBar.
All inquiries and correspondence should be directed to Lisa Roys, Public Affairs Director, State Bar of Wisconsin, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158. Roys may also be reached toll-free at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6128 or via email at lroys@wisbar.org.
Call for Judicial Vacancies Coming Soon
The commission will also be calling for applicants for a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Application materials will be available on April 29, 2017, with a deadline for submission by May 29, 2017.
About the Federal Nominating Commission
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin reestablished the Federal Nominating Commission’s charter, as of Feb. 13, 2017, to recommend candidates for vacancies on the U.S. District Courts in Wisconsin, certain vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and U.S. attorney vacancies in Wisconsin.
The State Bar of Wisconsin will continue to provide administrative support to the commission, and former State Bar President Michelle Behnke and current State Bar President-elect Paul Swanson will continue to co-chair the commission.
“I am pleased that Wisconsin’s Federal Nominating Commission will continue its dedicated work in reviewing candidates for these enormously important positions,” said current State Bar President Fran Deisinger. “Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin are to be commended for their leadership in keeping the commission process, which has been in existence since 1979, working for Wisconsin.”
The Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission has been making recommendations to Wisconsin's U.S. senators since 1979.
According to Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. President "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint" federal judges. The president also appoints U.S. attorneys. By tradition, the president defers to the recommendations of the home state's U.S. senators for these positions.
In 1979, Wisconsin's two U.S. senators, William Proxmire and Gaylord Nelson, established the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission, a tradition that has continued to the present day. Democratic and Republican senators have used the commission for every federal judicial and U.S. attorney vacancy in the past 30 years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
