April 29, 2013 – Wisconsin’s Federal Nominating Commission, charged with making recommendations for vacancies in federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions, is accepting applications for a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. The opening results from the retirement and subsequent passing of United States District Judge John Shabaz.
U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin established the Commission on April 17, 2013.
The Commission seeks qualified candidates, including women and minority candidates, for appointment to the vacancy.
Application materials will be made available beginning Monday, April 29, 2013, and must be returned no later than 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. The Commission’s application and instructions (which are separate documents) are available, in downloadable form. They can also be found at the Commission’s website: www.wisbar.org/fnc.
Attorneys Michelle Behnke and Paul Swanson will co-chair the Commission for the Western District judicial vacancy. Other commission members are William T. Curran, Richard Esenberg, Frederic Fleishauer and Barbara Zack Quindel.
State Bar of Wisconsin President Kevin Klein praised Wisconsin’s Senators for moving the selection process forward. “I am very pleased with the collaborative effort by both Senators Baldwin and Johnson to establish the Federal Nominating Commission,” Klein said. “The Western District Judgeship had been declared a ‘judicial emergency’ by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts both for caseload needs and length of vacancy. It is extremely important to the legal profession and the people of Wisconsin to move this process forward and to have a full complement of judges ready to serve Wisconsin.”
All inquiries and correspondence regarding the Federal Nominating Commission 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 e-mail at lroys@wisbar.org.
