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Since becoming a Senator, JD Vance has consistently blocked highly qualified nominees from being confirmed. He has voted against nominees such as Nancy Abudu (11th Cir.), Nicole Berner (4th Cir.), Nancy Maldonado (7th Cir.), and Julie Rikelman (1st Cir.), all of whom brought experience and perspectives we desperately needed in our federal judiciary. 

Oppositional Voting Record

  • Since taking office in 2023, Senator Vance has routinely voted against President Biden’s highly qualified judicial nominees.
  • As Senator, he has been in office for 116 confirmation votes on Article III nominees and here is how he voted:
    • Against – 85 times (73%)
    • For – 14 times (12%)
    • No vote – 17 times (15%)
  • Vance stands in the way of making our federal judiciary more diverse and has time and time again voted against highly qualified candidates. 

Inaction on Judicial Vacancies

  • Prior to Vance taking office, Senators Brown and Portman were able to work together in a bipartisan manner to fill 4 district court vacancies (3 N.D. Ohio, 1 S.D. Ohio), even with the blue slip still in place.
  • Since taking office nearly two years ago, Senators Brown and Vance have been unable to fill the two district court vacancies in their state (1 N.D. Ohio, 1 S.D. Ohio).
  • At this point, it seems almost certain that the White House will not announce nominees for these two vacancies during this Congress. 
  • This is despite Senator Brown’s best efforts to fill these seats, including running a public process last November.  

Leader of Conservative Senate Floor Roadblock

  • Vance led the effort in the Senate among conservative Senators to block the fast-tracking of President Biden’s judicial and U.S. Attorney nominees. 
  • Vance pointed to the “current administration’s persecution” of former President Trump as the reason he was spearheading this effort.

JD Vance’s record as a Senator shows he is willing to engage in partisan stunts to block qualified nominees from sitting on the federal bench and serving as U.S. Attorneys. This only hurts everyday Americans as they must wait longer to access justice. 

Everyday Americans deserve a fair-minded judiciary. But Senator Vance’s record shows he will  play these partisan games, delaying confirming fair-minded judges and delaying justice for everyday people.