Senate confirms stalled nominee to DC Circuit
The U.S. Senate has approved Patricia Ann Millett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after Democrats changed filibuster rules to pave the way for a vote.
Millett was approved today by a 56-38 vote, report the Associated Press, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.). She is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who has argued 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Barack Obama delivers a statement announcing the nomination Patricia Ann Millett (far right) for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 4, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Only two Republican senators voted for Millett: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, according to the AP account. Millett’s confirmation gives the court five judges appointed by Democratic presidents, compared to four appointed by Republicans. Most of the court’s senior judges, however, were Republican appointees, the Wall Street Journal says.
