Alliance for Justice on Friday sent out this judicial selection update:

The Senate has returned to active work, and on September 9 a Judiciary Committee hearing was held on five district court nominees, who now have a chance of confirmation before the Senate halts business for the year in two weeks:

• Clark Waddoups for the District of Utah
• Michael M. Anello for the Southern District of California
• Mary Stenson Scriven for the Middle District of Florida
• Christine M. Arguello and Philip A. Brimmer for the District of Colorado

The nominations to the Colorado federal court moved forward after a deal was made between the Senators Wayne Allard (R) and Ken Salazar(D). In the meantime, President Bush has nominated two new judges, one to a district court vacancy, and one, Loretta Preska, to a vacancy on the Second Circuit. The nomination of Judge Preska, an archconservative district judge in the Southern District of New York, was presumably made simply to inflate claims that the Senate is not considering pending nominees. In keeping with President Bush?s defiance of Senate traditions and with no consideration for bipartisanship, the nomination was made without consultation with either of New York?s Senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton.

39 judicial nominees pending (9 Ct. App. 30 Dist.)
0 pending on Senate floor (0 Ct. App. 0 Dist.)
8 had hearing but no committee vote (0 Ct. App. 8 Dist.)
22 pending in committee and have not yet had hearing in 110th Congress (9 Ct. App. 21 Dist.)
316 Confirmations overall (2 S. Ct. 61 Ct. App. 251 Dist. 2 Ct. Int’l Trade)
18 Confirmations in 2008 (4 Ct. App. 14 Dist.)
40 Confirmations in 2007 (6 Ct. App. 34 Dist.)
32 Confirmations in 2006 (1 S. Ct. 9 Ct. App. 21 Dist. 1 Ct. Int’l Trade)
58 Confirmations in 110th Congress (10 Ct. App. 48 Dist.)
54 Confirmations in 109th Congress (2 S. Ct. 16 Ct. App. 35 Dist. 1 Ct. Int’l Trade)
112 Confirmations in President Bush?s Second Term (2 S.Ct. 26 Ct. App. 83 Dist. Ct. 1 Ct. Int’l Trade)
204 Confirmations in President Bush?s First Term (35 Ct. App. 168 Dist. 1 Ct. Int’l Trade)
20 Withdrawals (1 S. Ct. 14 Ct. App. 5 Dist.) [1]

[1] This includes Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, circuit court nominees Miguel Estrada, James Payne, Henry Saad, Claude Allen, Charles Pickering, Sr., Carolyn Kuhl, William Steele (Steele and Payne were subsequently nominated and confirmed to district court seats), Michael Wallace, William Haynes, Terrence Boyle, William Myers, E. Duncan Getchell, Gene Pratter, and Steven J. Murphy (subsequently nominated to a district court seat, nomination pending); and district court nominees Mary O. Donohue, Frederick W. Rohlfing, III, Daniel P. Ryan, Jerome Holmes (who was subsequently nominated and confirmed to a seat on the 10th Circuit) and Leslie Southwick (who was nominated and confirmed to a Fifth Circuit seat).