U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

Monday , March 17, 2008

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-494-8790
Cody Wertz – 303-350-0032

Senator Salazar Announces Conclusion of Applications Review by Judicial Nominations Advisory Commission

Next Step Is Submission of Names

 

DENVER, CO – United States Senator Ken Salazar announced today that the bipartisan Judicial Nominations Advisory Commission he established in January has completed its review of applications to fill the pending and imminent vacancies to the U.S. District Court in Colorado.

On Saturday, March 15, Senator Salazar met with the Commission, which concluded its deliberations and submitted a short list of recommendations to Senator Salazar for his consideration. Senator Salazar will personally interview the recommended applicants this week and then work with Senator Allard and the White House to fill the vacancies as soon as possible. Senator Salazar will make public the names of any nominees he submits to the White House.

“I am very pleased with the thorough and deliberative work of this distinguished panel of citizens,” Senator Salazar said. “Several of the people who submitted their names to the commission for consideration noted that they would not have applied for one of these judicial vacancies but for the fact that this open application process was established. These are vitally important lifetime appointments to our federal judiciary. I will continue to work to ensure that these judgeships are filled by only the most highly qualified individuals.”

Over 45 applications were submitted. Commission members interviewed over 25 applicants last week.
Senator Salazar established the eight-member, equally balanced bipartisan commission to assist him in gathering a list of recommendations of nominees to send to the White House to fill the pending vacancy on the U.S. District Court for Colorado as well as the two known additional upcoming vacancies. The commission will also develop a set of recommendations for how to improve and formalize future federal judicial nomination processes.

Senator Salazar’s eight-member bipartisan commission included:

  • Ross Buchanan, co-founder of the Denver law firm, Buchanan, Jurdem & Cederberg, P.C.
  • 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.


###