Senate Skips Obama’s Latino Judicial Nominee’s Confirmation Vote

*When does this stop being OK? Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo is, by all accounts, a good and worthy jurist, yet his confirmation to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has been held-up in the Senate since November of last year. Latinos are watching how one of their own is disrespected by the leaders of the U.S. Senate. Last week the Senate scheduled a vote for a judicial nominee who’s name was submitted after Restrepo’s. VL

By Michael Oleaga, Latin Post

More than a year has passed since President Barack Obama nominated Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to serve the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and while the Senate has steadily schedule confirmation votes, the Latino judge is still not on the calendar.

Last week, the Senate scheduled a judicial vote for Travis Randall McDonough for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, despite Obama nominating him eight days after Restrepo’s Nov. 12, 2014, announcement. With Restrepo’s confirmation still not scheduled, he risks waiting further until the New Year as the Senate recess nears.

“By skipping over Judge Restrepo, Senate Republicans threaten not to hold a confirmation vote by the end of the year, meaning that the reset button could be hit on his confirmation. If they do that, he’d have to be re-nominated and re-processed by the Judiciary Committee, even though Republicans and Democrats alike have voiced only support for Judge Restrepo,” said Paul Gordon, senior legislative counsel for People for the American Way.

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