National Law Journal: These Hopefuls Are a Step Closer to Becoming a Judge; Others Weren’t So Lucky

This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on January 9, 2024.

Others withdrew from consideration. Colleen Holland, a nominee for District Court in the Western District of New York, withdrew her name, according to a news account. Holland, who serves as special counsel to Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford of the Western District of New York, was first nominated for a judgeship in August 2023.

Another one, Charnelle Bjelkengren, a District Court candidate for the Eastern District of Washington, also withdrew from consideration on Tuesday, according to a news report. Bjelkengren was criticized by Republicans after failing to answer Sen. John Kennedy’s questions about the meaning of Articles II and V of the Constitution in her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Alliance for Justice, a coalition of liberal groups that monitors the federal judiciary, criticized the failure to renominate all the candidates.

“While it’s heartening the White House renominated several exceptional people and prioritized renominations early in the new year, it’s disappointing that these five nominees were not included. The Senate could have confirmed more judicial nominees before the end of the year if it had simply taken votes on these crucial lifetime positions. Instead, the nation begins 2024 further behind in the vital work of transforming our courts,” said Jake Faleschini, the justice program director at AFJ, in a statement.