Sen. Salazar Pushes White House to Fill Judicial Vacancies with ‘Highly Qualified Individuals'/ Establishes Bipartisan Commission to Aid in Selection Process

Press Release

There will soon be three United States District Court Judge vacancies in Colorado and there is a longstanding practice that recognizes the interests of home state Senators in these important lifetime appointments to the federal bench. United States Senator Ken Salazar initiated a bipartisan process to help select highly qualified individuals to forward to the White House for consideration of judicial appointments.

In a letter to the White House today, Senator Salazar stated his intent to submit names of highly qualified individuals for consideration as nominees to fill the three vacancies. Senator Salazar also announced that he will establish an eight-member, equally balanced, bipartisan commission to help select individuals for consideration to forward to the White House. Senator Salazar expects to then submit individual names to the White House by March 15, 2008. The commission will also be asked to develop a set of recommendations for how to improve and formalize future federal judicial nomination processes.

Senator Salazar's eight-member bipartisan commission will be chaired by Ross Buchanan, co-founder of the Denver law firm Buchanan, Jurdem & Cederberg, P.C. and past President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to Mr. Buchanan the commission will include:

- Honorable Rebecca Kourlis, former Colorado Supreme Court Justice and West Slope judge and lawyer and current head of the University of Denver Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System;
- Frances Koncilja, founder of the law firm Koncilja and Associates and past-President of the Colorado Bar Association and Pueblo, Colorado native;
- Glen Keller, senior of counsel in the prestigious Denver law firm of Davis, Graham and Stubbs and a former United States Bankruptcy Judge and Assistant Colorado Attorney General;
- Honorable Norma Anderson, former Colorado State Senator and Majority Leader from Jefferson County, Colorado;
- Honorable Bill Kaufman, former Colorado State Representative from Loveland, Colorado;
- Honorable Gloria Tanner, former Colorado State Senator from Denver, Colorado; and
- Honorable Paul Sandoval, former Colorado State Senator from Denver, Colorado.

In his letter Senator Salazar also wrote, "I ask that I be consulted directly regarding any individuals you are considering with ample time given for me to evaluate the potential nominees and provide a meaningful response...These are vitally important lifetime appointments to our federal judiciary. These judgeships should be filled only by the most highly qualified individuals."

A full copy of Senator Salazar's letter to the White House is available by clicking here.

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