Two with local ties tapped for federal judgeships

Ohio’s state solicitor, Eric E. Murphy, was nominated Thursday by President Donald Trump to serve as a judge on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Murphy has been the state solicitor in the office of Attorney General Mike DeWine since 2013, overseeing and arguing cases involving appeals before the Ohio Supreme Court, the 6th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Murphy’s nomination needs the approval of the U.S. Senate. The 6th Circuit handles appeals of cases involving lower-level federal courts in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Murphy previously worked in the Columbus office of the law firm Jones Day. Murphy received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He once was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

In a statement, DeWine said: “Eric has a sharp legal mind, and will interpret the law fairly. Eric has done a great job representing Ohio in federal court, before the Readler Murphy

Ohio Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, and I know that Eric will do an outstanding job as an appellate judge on the 6th Circuit. I urge the U.S. Senate to act on his nomination quickly.”

Trump also nominated Chad A. Readler of Columbus to serve on the 6th Circuit. Since 2017, Readler has been the principal deputy and acting assistant attorney general for the civil division at the U.S. Department of Justice. He has handled cases in federal courts across the country.

Readler also previously worked in the Columbus office of Jones Day handling innocence and capital-punishment cases. Readler earned his bachelor’s and legal degrees from the University of Michigan. He also served on the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

“I’ve met with both Chad and Eric, and they are extremely well qualified to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. I look forward to supporting their nominations on the floor of the U.S. Senate,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in a written statement.

The Alliance for Justice, a coalition of progressive groups, objected to the nominations of Murphy and Readler, saying they have fought in the legal realm for “far-right positions” and do not belong on the federal bench. “These individuals would pose serious threats to the rights and liberties of people in the 6th Circuit if they were to become federal judges,” the group said.