Today President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate an eighteenth wave of judicial nominees, an eighteenth wave of United States Attorney nominees, and a thirteenth wave of United States Marshal nominees as follows:
Joseph F. Bianco of New York, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Joseph Bianco serves as a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, where he has served since 2006. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the St. John’s University School of Law. Prior to his confirmation and appointment by President George W. Bush, Judge Bianco served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, where he oversaw the Division’s counterterrorism efforts. He also served for nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including for two years as Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit. After graduation from law school, Judge Bianco clerked for Judge Peter K. Leisure of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Judge Bianco received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University, and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he served on the Columbia Law Review.
Michael H. Park of New York, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Michael Park is a partner in the New York City office of Consovoy McCarthy Park PLLC, where his practice focuses on a broad range of litigation and securities enforcement matters. He represents clients in litigation in a wide array of subject areas, including securities, criminal, commercial, administrative, and constitutional law. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University, where he teaches the Supreme Court Clinic. Prior to joining Consovoy McCarthy Park, Mr. Park was a partner at an international law firm and an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Park clerked for then-Judge Samuel A. Alito of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and he later clerked for Justice Alito on the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Park received his A.B. from Princeton University, magna cum laude, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal.
Patrick J. Bumatay of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Patrick Bumatay is an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where he is a member of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces Section. He is currently detailed to the Office of the Attorney General, where he serves as Counselor to the Attorney General on various criminal issues, including the national opioid strategy and transnational organized crime. Mr. Bumatay has also served in other positions in the Department of Justice, including the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, where he was responsible for overseeing various aspects of the Department’s civil enforcement programs, and the Office of Legal Policy. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Bumatay served as a law clerk for Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Court. He also clerked for Judge Sandra L. Townes of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Bumatay received his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA), the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, and the Federal Bar Association.
Daniel P. Collins of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Daniel Collins is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where his practice focuses on appellate litigation in the Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit, and the California Supreme Court. Mr. Collins has argued 36 cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, including two before the en banc court, and four cases in the California Supreme Court. Prior to joining Munger Tolles, Mr. Collins served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked extensively on the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003, which included provisions to combat child pornography and child abuse and to reform federal sentencing laws. Mr. Collins has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Collins clerked for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and he later clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Collins received his A.B. from Harvard College, summa cum laude, and his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford University, where he served on the Stanford Law Review.
Kenneth Kiyul Lee of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Kenneth Lee is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jenner & Block LLP, where his practice focuses on appellate litigation and internal investigations, and where he serves on the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. He has briefed and argued appeals in multiple federal courts of appeals, including the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, and Ninth Circuits. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, providing free legal representation to indigent and incarcerated clients. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Mr. Lee served as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush and as an associate with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Lee clerked for Judge Emilio M. Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Lee received his A.B. from Cornell University, summa cum laude, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Stanley Blumenfeld of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Stan Blumenfeld is a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court, currently assigned to the Felony Trial Court and serving as the Assistant Supervising Judge for the Northeast and Central Districts. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California School of Law and teaches a course in Constitutional Criminal Procedure and Remedies. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Blumenfeld was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he served as Co-Chair of the Healthcare and Environmental Law practice groups, and was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Upon graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk to Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Blumenfeld received his B.A. from SUNY Binghamton, an M.A. in Spanish from New York University, and his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Law Review.
Brian C. Buescher of Nebraska, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. Brian Buescher is a partner in the Omaha, Nebraska, office of Kutak Rock LLP. At Kutak Rock, he leads the firm’s agribusiness litigation practice, with extensive experience in agribusiness, environmental, food law, real estate, product liability, class action, banking, and insurance litigation matters. Mr. Buescher has served as the Chair of both the Nebraska Bar Association’s Agricultural and Environmental Law Sections, and is an active member of the Omaha community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Omaha YMCA. He received his B.A. from the University of Nebraska, with honors and high distinction, and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Clifton L. Corker of Tennessee, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Clifton Corker serves as a United States Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Prior to his appointment to the bench in 2015, Judge Corker had his own law firm, the Law Office of Clifton Corker in Johnson City, Tennessee. There, he maintained a diverse practice, handling matters as varied as complex civil litigation and capital murder cases. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Corker clerked for then-Magistrate Judge Cynthia Kinser of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Judge Corker received his B.B.A. from James Madison University and his J.D. from William & Mary Law School.
Philip M. Halpern of New York, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Philip Halpern is managing partner of Collier, Halpern, Newberg & Nolletti LLP, where his practice focuses on commercial, employment, real estate, and securities litigation. He is also an adjunct professor at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, teaching “The Anatomy of a Trial: The Burden of Proof.” Upon graduation from law school, he clerked for Judge Irving Ben Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Halpern received his B.S., magna cum laude, from Fordham University, and his J.D. at Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
Thomas Marcelle of New York, to serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Thomas Marcelle is a judge on the Cohoes City Court. Prior to joining the court, he served as Chief Counsel to the Albany County Sherriff’s Office and Albany County Attorney, where he oversaw the litigation of civil matters and prosecution of criminal matters. Mr. Marcelle also enjoyed a long, prestigious career in private practice; his practice focused on constitutional litigation, with a focus on election and constitutional issues. He also served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, responsible for enforcing the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. Mr. Marcelle received his B.A. from Bowdoin College and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School, where he served on the Cornell Law Review.
Matthew W. McFarland of Ohio, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Matthew McFarland is a judge on the Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals. He also is an adjunct professor for Shawnee State University and formerly taught constitutional law at Capital University. Judge McFarland previously served as the Magistrate in Scioto County Common Pleas Court Probate/Juvenile Division and as Chairman of the Ohio Association of Magistrates, Juvenile Section. Prior to serving on the bench, Judge McFarland was a Scioto County Assistant Prosecutor and acted as Special Counsel for the Ohio Attorney General. He was also a Licking County Assistant County Prosecutor. Judge McFarland received his B.A., cum laude, from Capital University, and his J.D. from Capital University Law School.
Jeremy B. Rosen of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Jeremy Rosen is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Horvitz & Levy LLP. His practice focuses on appellate litigation, primarily in the Ninth Circuit, California Supreme Court, and California Courts of Appeals. He specializes in First Amendment cases, with expertise in both the Speech and Religion Clauses, and is a California Bar Certified Appellate Specialist. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Rosen clerked for Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and he later clerked for Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Rosen received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Cornell University and a J.D. and L.L.M., magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Law, where he served on the Duke Law Journal.
Mark C. Scarsi of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Mark Scarsi is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCoy LLP. There he serves as the Chair of the firm’s Global Intellectual Property Practice and the Los Angeles office’s Managing Partner. Prior to entering the legal profession, Mr. Scarsi worked for seven years as a software engineer, designing and developing detection and signal processing computer systems for U.S. defense applications. Mr. Scarsi received his B.S. and M.S. from Syracuse University, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Aaron L. Weisman of Rhode Island, to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. Mr. Weisman is currently an Assistant Attorney General and the Chief of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s criminal appeals unit. Mr. Weisman has held that position since January 1993 and under four attorneys general. He previously served as a special assistant attorney general in the criminal appeals unit. During Mr. Weisman’s tenure at the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, he has represented Rhode Island’s criminal justice interests before the Supreme Court of Rhode Island in hundreds of felony cases, including the appellate litigation of many of Rhode Island’s most consequential criminal justice matters. Mr. Weisman also oversees the Rhode Island Attorney General’s post-conviction relief unit, responsible for ensuring the just and orderly processing of collateral attacks on felony judgments of conviction, and has appeared in federal court, including an appearance before the Supreme Court of the United States, to defend Rhode Island’s interest in the finality of its criminal convictions. Prior to Mr. Weisman’s employment with the Rhode Island Attorney General, he worked for Jones Associates, a Providence law firm specializing in appellate practice. Mr. Weisman received his B.A. from Brandeis University and his J.D. from Cardozo School of Law.
Gary B. Burman of Kentucky, to serve as the United States Marshal for the Western District of Kentucky. Mr. Burman is a Lieutenant with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) where he has served for 37 years. Mr. Burman began his law enforcement career as a Patrol Officer in 1980. In 1989, he accepted a position as a Special Agent with the FBI for one year. He returned to LMVP in 1990 and rose through the ranks to hold positons as Third Platoon Commander, Criminal Intelligence Unit Commander, Special Response Team Commander, and currently, as Commander of the Dignitary Protection and Threat Assessment Units. Mr. Burman holds a B.S. in Commerce for the University of Louisville.
Douglas J. Strike of Iowa, to serve as the United States Marshal for the Northern District of Iowa. Mr. Strike served as Chief of Police for the City of Iowa Falls Police Department from 2001 to 2006. He served with the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office from 1977 to 2001, first as a Deputy Sheriff, and in 1981 as Chief Deputy for a period of 20 years. Additionally, Mr. Strike served with the City of Nashua Police Department as Chief of Police from 1974 to 1977. He is a past President of the Iowa Sheriffs and Deputies Association, as well as a former board member of the Iowa Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers Association. Mr. Strike is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds an Associate’s Degree in Police Science from Hawkeye Institute of Technology.
