02.06.14

Durbin: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominee in Southern District of Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, has unanimously approved Nancy Rosenstengel for a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Illinois. Her nomination will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate.

 

“Nancy Rosenstengel will make an exceptional judge in the Southern District.  Her nomination is an historic one.  Upon confirmation, Ms. Rosenstengel will be the first woman to serve as an Article III federal judge in the Southern District of Illinois,” said Durbin.  “I look forward to voting to approve her nomination in the Senate soon.”

 

Ms. Rosenstengel currently serves as the Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, a position she has held since 2009.  She previously served as a law clerk to Judge Patrick Murphy of the Southern District of Illinois for 11 years.  She has also worked for five years in private practice at Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard in St. Louis.  She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University School of Law.  Ms. Rosenstengel lives in Belleville. 

 

In order to make recommendations for judicial vacancies in the Southern District, Durbin established a screening committee in April 2013 comprised of 6 distinguished Illinoisans drawn from various aspects of the legal profession.  The committee was co-chaired by Lois Wood, Executive Director of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, and the Honorable George W. Timberlake (ret.), former chief judge of the Illinois Second Judicial Circuit.

 

After holding several meetings, reviewing the applications and conducting interviews, the screening committees recommended the names of several individuals for each vacancy.  Durbin reviewed the screening committees' recommendations, conducted interviews of finalists and, in consultation with U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), submitted the names of five individuals to the President, who made the final decisions on nominees.