J. Nicholas Ranjan

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J. Nicholas Ranjan
Image of J. Nicholas Ranjan

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

5

Education

Bachelor's

Grove City College, 2000

Law

University of Michigan Law School, 2003 

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J. Nicholas Ranjan is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on July 24, 2018, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 10, 2019, by a vote of 80-14.[1][2] He received commission on July 12, 2019. To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Ranjan was an equity partner in the Pittsburgh office of K&L Gates LLP from 2013 to 2019.[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On July 24, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Ranjan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.[1] The United States Senate confirmed Ranjan on July 10, 2019, by a vote of 80-14.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: J. Nicholas Ranjan
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Progress
Confirmed 352 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: July 24, 2018
ApprovedAABA Rating: Substantial majority well qualified / Minority qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: November 13, 2018
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: February 7, 2019 
ApprovedAConfirmed: July 11, 2019
ApprovedAVote: 80-14


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Ranjan on July 10, 2019, on a vote of 80-14.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Ranjan confirmation vote (July 10, 2019)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 27 14 4
Ends.png Republican 52 0 1
Grey.png Independent 1 0 1
Total 80 14 6
Change in Senate rules
See also:
Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
United States federal courts

Ranjan was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[4]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[5]

It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[6] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.


Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Ranjan's nomination on November 13, 2018.[7]

The Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Ranjan's nomination on February 7, 2019.[8] Click here to see how the committee voted. Ranjan's nomination was one of 44 that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reported that day.


Nomination

Ranjan was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on July 24, 2018, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Ranjan was nominated to succeed Judge Kim Gibson, who assumed senior status on June 3, 2016.[1]

At the sine die adjournment of the 115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Ranjan's nomination to President Trump.[9] Ranjan was one of 51 individuals the president re-nominated on January 23, 2019.[10]

The American Bar Association rated Ranjan well qualified by a substantial majority and qualified by a minority.[11] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Education

Ranjan received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Grove City College in 2000 and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2003. During his legal studies, Ranjan he was a note editor of The Michigan Law Review.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[12]

Professional career

About the court

Western District of Pennsylvania
Third Circuit
Western-District-Pennsylvania-Seal.png
Judgeships
Posts: 10
Judges: 10
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Mark Raymond Hornak
Active judges:
Susan Baxter, Cathy Bissoon, Robert J. Colville, Stephanie Haines, William Scott Hardy, Marilyn J. Horan, Mark Raymond Hornak, J. Nicholas Ranjan, William Shaw Stickman IV, Christy Wiegand

Senior judges:
David Cercone, Joy Conti, Nora Fischer, Kim Gibson, Arthur Schwab


The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 United States district courts.

When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in downtown Philadelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.

The Counties of the Western District of Pennsylvania (click for larger map)

The Western District of Pennsylvania has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Western District of Pennsylvania consists of all the following counties in the western part of the state of Pennsylvania.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Congress.gov, "PN2342 — J. Nicholas Ranjan — The Judiciary," accessed July 11, 2019
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Congress.gov, "PN246 — J. Nicholas Ranjan — The Judiciary," accessed July 11, 2019
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named que
  4. ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
  5. ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
  6. ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
  7. ↑ Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," November 13, 2018
  8. ↑ U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," February 7, 2019
  9. ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days. Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 11, 2017
  10. ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 23, 2019
  11. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed July 11, 2019
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Sixteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Sixteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Eleventh Wave of United States Marshal Nominees," July 13, 2018

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
2019-Present		 Succeeded by
-


Pennsylvania courts

Federal courts:

Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania

State courts:

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts

State resources:

Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania

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