4th Circuit Becomes New Front in Battle Over Judges

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With this week's confirmation of Nashville, Tenn., lawyer Jane Stranch to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, there's a new focus in the sparring over judicial nominees.

Albert Diaz, a nominee for the 4th Circuit, has been waiting longer for Senate confirmation than any other pending appellate nominee. President Barack Obama nominated Diaz, a former military judge now on the North Carolina trial bench, in November 2009. Diaz (pictured above) has awaited a vote since getting the unanimous support of the Senate Judiciary Committee in January.

Obama, in a speech Wednesday night, took what for him is an unusual step — singling out Diaz by name as a stalled judicial nominee.

“This is a widely respected state court judge, military judge, and Marine Corps attorney,” Obama told a gala held by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, according to a White House transcript. “He was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee. But just last month, the Senate Republican leader objected to a vote on his confirmation yet again.”

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