John Holcomb (California)

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John William Holcomb
Image of John William Holcomb

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Central District of California
Tenure

2020 - Present

Years in position

4

Education

Bachelor's

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984

Graduate

Harvard Business School, 1993

Law

Harvard Law School, 1993

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1980 - 1989

Personal
Birthplace
Olean, N.Y.

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John W. Holcomb is a judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on November 21, 2019.[1] The U.S. Senate confirmed Holcomb by an 83-12 vote on September 15, 2020.[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Central District of California 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.

Holcomb was a partner with Greenberg Gross LLP in Costa Mesa, California, from 2019 to 2020.[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Central District of California (2020-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On November 21, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Holcomb to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.[1] He was confirmed by an 83-12 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 15, 2020.[2] Holcomb received commission on September 18, 2020.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: John Holcomb
Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California
Progress
Confirmed 299 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: November 21, 2019
ApprovedAABA Rating: Substantial majority well qualified / Minority qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: June 17, 2020
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: July 23, 2020 
ApprovedAConfirmed: September 15, 2020
ApprovedAVote: 83-12

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Holcomb by a vote of 83-12 on September 15, 2020.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Holcomb confirmation vote (September 15, 2020)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 30 12 3
Ends.png Republican 52 0 1
Grey.png Independent 1 0 1
Total 83 12 5
Change in Senate rules
See also:
Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
United States federal courts

Holcomb 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.[5]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[6]

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.[7] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.


Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Holcomb had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 17, 2020.[8] The committee advanced Holcomb's nomination to the full Senate on July 23, 2020.[9]

Nomination

On September 20, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Holcomb to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.[3] The president officially nominated Holcomb on November 21. Holcomb's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2020.[1]

The president renominated Holcomb on February 13.[10]

Holcomb was nominated to replace Judge Dean Pregerson, who assumed senior status on January 28, 2016.[1]

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

Early life and education

Holcomb was born in 1963 in Olean, New York. He obtained a B.S. in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. He received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1993.[12][13]

Military service

Holcomb served in the United States Navy from 1980 to 1989. He was on active duty as a Commissioned Officer from 1984 to 1989.[3]

Professional career

Awards and associations

Awards

Associations

  • American Association for Justice
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County chapter
  • Federal Bar Association, Inland Empire chapter
    • 2007-2008: President
    • 2006-2007: Vice president
    • 2005-2006: Secretary
    • 2002-2006: Treasurer
  • Federal Circuit Bar Association
  • The Federalist Society
  • MIT Club of Southern California
  • Harvard Business School Club of New York
  • Harvard Business School Association of Orange County
  • Harvard Law School Association of Orange County
  • Intellectual Property Owners Association
  • Orange County Bar Association
  • Orange County Barristers
  • Orange County Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Riverside County Bar Association[12][13]

About the court

Central District of California
Ninth Circuit
Great seal of the United States.png
Judgeships
Posts: 28
Judges: 25
Vacancies: 3
Judges
Chief: Dolly Gee
Active judges: Fernando Aenlle-Rocha, Mónica Ramírez Almadani, Percy Anderson, Jesus Bernal, André Birotte Jr., Stanley Blumenfeld, David Carter, Michelle Williams Court, Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, Michael Fitzgerald, Sherilyn P. Garnett, Dolly Gee, John William Holcomb, Wesley L. Hsu, Kenly Kiya Kato, Robert Klausner, Fernando Olguin, Mark C. Scarsi, Fred W. Slaughter, Josephine Staton, Sunshine S. Sykes, Hernán D. Vera, John Walter, Stephen Wilson, Otis Wright

Senior judges:
Valerie Baker Fairbank, Dale Fischer, Terry Hatter, Aaron Kampfe, William Duffy Keller, John A. Kronstadt, Ronald Lew, Consuelo Marshall, Virginia Phillips, Dean Pregerson, James Selna, Christina Snyder, George Wu


The United States District Court for the Central District of California is one of 94 United States district courts. The court serves about seventeen million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population. The district operates out of courthouses in Santa Ana, Riverside and two locations in Los Angeles. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in downtown San Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse. Initial appeals are heard in Pasadena at the Richard Chambers Courthouse.

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

There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Eastern Division, covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties.[14]

The Southern Division, covering Orange County.[14]

The Western Division, covering Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.[14]

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 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN1298 — John W. Holcomb — The Judiciary," accessed November 22, 2019
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Congress.gov, "PN1531 — John W. Holcomb — The Judiciary," accessed September 16, 2020
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees and United States Marshal Nominee," September 20, 2019
  4. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Holcomb, John William," accessed September 22, 2020
  5. ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
  6. ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
  7. ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
  8. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Nominations," accessed June 17, 2020
  9. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," July 23, 2020
  10. ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "Eleven Nominations Sent to the Senate," February 13, 2020
  11. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees," accessed June 17, 2020
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Greenberg Gross LLP, "John W. Holcomb," accessed September 23, 2019
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: John William Holcomb," accessed June 17, 2020
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States District Court for the Central District of California, Jurisdiction

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Central District of California
2020-Present		 Succeeded by
-


California courts

Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California

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