### Senate Strikes Bipartisan Deal on Judicial Nominees

In a significant development, Senate Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a deal that will advance votes on several of President Joe Biden's district court nominees while putting aside four appellate court picks who lacked sufficient support for confirmation.

According to a spokesperson for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the agreement involves trading the four circuit nominees—for whom confirmation votes were lacking—for the advancement of more than three times that number of district court judges. This effectively halts the nomination of Adeel Mangi for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, who would have been the first Muslim federal appellate judge, but who faced controversy and insufficient backing within his own party.

Other notable circuit court nominations affected by this deal include Ryan Park, the Solicitor General of North Carolina for the Fourth Circuit. Republican Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) claimed to have secured enough votes to block Park's confirmation. Similarly, Karla Campbell nominated for the Sixth Circuit and Julia Lipez for the First Circuit will also be withdrawn.

The deal is strategically beneficial for Democrats, as it paves the way for smoother confirmation of district court judges in a Senate they control by a slim 51-49 majority. This comes in response to Republican tactics aimed at delaying the confirmation of Biden's judicial nominees before a possible shift in Senate and White House control in the upcoming January term.

On a historic voting session that extended until midnight, cloture was successfully invoked to end debate on four district court nominees. Among those who advanced were Spark Sooknanan for the District of Columbia's US trial court, Brian Murphy for the District of Massachusetts, Anne Hwang for the Central District of California, and Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon for the Central District of California. Catherine Henry for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was also included in the late-night votes.

Further cloture votes were held on Thursday for Gail Weilheimer, nominated for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Noel Wise for the Northern District of California. These nominees are set for confirmation votes post-Thanksgiving, based on information from a Senate Democratic leadership aide.

In other notable judicial updates, Sharad Desai was confirmed as a District Judge for Arizona with an 82-12 vote on Thursday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also moved forward several district court nominees to the Executive Calendar, including former Representative Anthony Brindisi and Elizabeth Coombe for the Northern District of New York. Sarah Davenport for the District of New Mexico, Tiffany Johnson for the Northern District of Georgia, and Keli Neary for the Middle District of Pennsylvania were also advanced.

The deal marks a notable compromise amid recent Republican-led procedural delays designed to prolong the confirmation process of Biden's nominees. It leaves unfilled two significant judicial vacancies created by Judge Joseph Greenaway Jr.'s retirement from the Third Circuit and Judge William Kayatta Jr. of the First Circuit's decision to take senior status in October. These open positions may be opportunities for President-elect Donald Trump's forthcoming selections, although not as numerous compared to the Republican starting point in 2017.

Judges James Wynn of the Fourth Circuit and Jane Branstetter Stranch of the Sixth Circuit may reconsider their plans to take senior status, as their vacancies depend on their successors' confirmation. Both judges have yet to comment on the matter.