May 16, 2017 – The Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission seeks qualified candidates for a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The opening resulted when U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Randa announced senior status in 2016 and subsequently passed away.

Application materials must be returned no later than noon on May 30, 2017. The commission's application and instructions (which are separate documents) are available in downloadable form at the Nominating Commission’s website: www.wisbar.org/fnc.

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.

About the Federal Nominating Commission

U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin reestablished the Federal Nominating Commission, charged with making recommendations for vacancies in federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions, as of February 13, 2017.

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.

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.