Pittsburgh lawyer confirmed as judge
Three more Western District nominees await confirmation
WASHINGTON — The U. S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a 41- year- old Pittsburgh lawyer who has defended a broad array of companies, including natural gas and pipeline companies during the Marcellus Shale boom, as a judge in the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
J. Nicholas Ranjan, a partner with K& L Gates in Downtown and nominated by President Donald Trump, was confirmed by an 80- 14 vote. Both Pennsylvania senators, Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey, voted for Mr. Ranjan.
In a joint statement after the vote, Mr. Toomey called Mr. Ranjan “an excellent addition to the federal bench,” and Mr. Casey added, “I believe he has the necessary intellect, character and independence needed to serve as a federal judge.”
Mr. Ranjan’s confirmation brings the number of unfilled seats down to four on the 10- judge Western Pennsylvania district court. It also comes amid a slew of federal judicial nominees that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Ky., is working to push through this year and next, before the 2020 presidential election.
Political staffers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge — some with praise, some with disgust — Mr. McConnell’s almost singular focus on pushing nominees through the Senate, sometimes over the traditionally respected objections of the opposing party.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 53- 45, mostly along party lines, to confirm the nomination of Daniel Bress to the U. S. Circuit Court for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. The two California senators, Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, withheld their support. Home state senators usually hold sway over whether a judicial nominee is considered.
Count Mr. Ranjan among the least divisive of the pool of nominees.
The son of Indian immigrants, Mr. Ranjan was born in Lancaster, Ohio, and raised in upstate New York. He earned a history degree from Grove City College and a law degree from the University of Michigan.
He has worked at K& L Gates for 14 years, specializing in representing clients in appeals. He has argued before five different federal appellate courts and has been involved in cases in the supreme courts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, California and West Virginia.
After he was nominated in July 2018, Mr. Ranjan, sporting a bow tie, sailed through his hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee in November, cracking jokes and appearing at ease. The three qualities every judge should have, he told the committee, are “availability, affability and ability — perhaps in that order.” He called the Constitution his “lodestar.”
The committee approved him by a 18- 4 vote in February, and, on Tuesday, the full Senate voted 83- 15 to end debate and vote on the confirmation.
Mr. Ranjan “is a well- respected lawyer at a fine law firm,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. “He’s not controversial, and they want to fill as many vacancies as they can. The question is how many more can get filled.”
In an interview after his confirmation, Mr. Ranjan said he was honored by the confirmation. He said he represented oil and gas companies in business disputes as demand rose for legal services along with the Marcellus Shale boom, shortly after he joined K& L Gates. But he did not want to be defined by one issue or any particular case.
“My hope is people will see a broad breadth of experience that will serve me well on the federal court,” Mr. Ranjan said.
Three more Western District nominees are awaiting confirmation.
On May 9, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nominations of Robert J. Colville, an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge, and Stephanie L. Haines, an assistant U. S. attorney. Mr. Colville and Ms. Haines will likely be considered for confirmation in September, if Mr. McConnell continues at the current pace, Mr. Tobias said.
The third nominee, William Stickman, was approved June 27 by the Judiciary Committee by a contentious 12- 10 vote. Mr. Stickman is a partner with the Pittsburgh firm Del Sole Cavanaugh Stroyd, focusing on commercial and appellate matters.
Two more Western District vacancies could open up soon, however.
Judge Nora Barry Fischer is expected to take senior status soon, and Judge Peter Phipps, who was confirmed to the Western District late last year, has been nominated to the Philadelphiabased 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Phipps’ nomination caused a rare split between the two Pennsylvania senators, who pride themselves on releasing joint statements of approval for their home state judicial nominees.
But in June, Mr. Casey withheld his endorsement, citing Mr. Phipps’ lack of experience on the district court level.
Mr. Phipps could see a confirmation vote as early as next week.