It’s about time.
For several years now, Colorado’s federal district court has not had a full bench of trial court judges, a situation attributable at least in part to the hyperpartisanship in Congress.
We were happy to see the Senate, before leaving for its August recess, confirm nominee R. Brooke Jackson for a federal judgeship in Colorado. He was first nominated by President Obama in September 2010.
Jackson, a well-qualified candidate who is chief judge for the state’s 1st Judicial District, never should have had to wait so long.
Colorado has only seven federal judgeships on its trial bench, and even one vacancy had meant delays for those who go before the court, and big caseloads for the court’s other judges.
The situation had gotten so extreme that the federal Administrative Office of the Courts had deemed the vacancy a judicial emergency.
By May, Jackson had made his way through most of the nominating and vetting process.
He received a unanimous, “well- qualified” ranking from the American Bar Association, the highest ranking awarded by the group’s independent panel dedicated to evaluating judicial candidates.
Jackson received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which voted in May to report him out to the full Senate. At that time, Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Mark Udall advocated for a quick confirmation.
“I urge the Senate to consider his nomination quickly so that Colorado will get the judge we need to better serve our state,” Udall said. “I also hope we can make some common- sense changes in the way the Senate does business to ensure judges can be confirmed and seated more quickly.”
Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet also praised the nominee.
“Judge Jackson is an impressively experienced and seasoned jurist,” Bennet said. “He has extensive knowledge of a wide variety of types of cases important to the people of Colorado. His many years overseeing thousands of cases in Colorado’s courts have prepared him now to serve in a long-vacant seat on the federal bench.”
Despite the words of endorsement, that’s where Jackson’s nomination had languished.
Part of the blame lies with Obama, who was slow in nominating candidates for openings. The position to which Jackson was confirmed had been vacant since January of 2008.
A good bit of the delay, however, has come from Republicans, who have dragged their feet on judicial nominations in an effort to keep Democratic nominees off the bench.
The Senate’s role in the confirmation process is to ensure a candidate is qualified, which Jackson surely is, not to apply political tests. We’re glad to see the position finally filled, but dismayed it took as long as it did.
