Senate Confirms Kelly, Barnett to Seats on CIT
The Senate confirmed the nominations of Brooklyn Law School professor Claire Kelly and Commerce Department staffer Mark Barnett to be judges on the Court of International Trade May 23. Barnett has been deputy chief counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel for Import Administration at Commerce since 2005 (see 12071314). Kelly is also chair of the Court of International Trade Bar Association subcommittee on trade adjustment assistance (see 12111526).
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Barnett was one of 11 judicial nominees stalled at the end of 2012 due to a blocked vote by Senate Republicans. “Nominations to the Court of International Trade have historically been noncontroversial and have been moved quickly by the full Senate,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chair of the Judiciary Committee, before the Senate voted on the nominations (here). “The most recent confirmation to that court came less than a month after the nominee had been reported, so it is unfortunate that Mark Barnett and Claire Kelly have been unnecessarily stalled for more than 3 months.” He said such delays are “bad for the Senate, bad for our Federal courts, and bad for the American people.” President Obama nominated both Kelly and Barnett January 3.