David Morales (Texas federal judge)
David S. Morales is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. On April 12, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Morales to a seat on this court.[1] TheU.S. Senate confirmed Morales on a 56-41 vote on April 10, 2019.[2] He received his judicial commission on April 25, 2019.[3] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.
TheUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is one of 94U.S. district courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.
Morales was a partner with Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP from 2016 to 2019.[4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (2018)
PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Morales as anArticle III judge on theSouthern District of Texas on April 12, 2018.[1] TheU.S. Senate confirmed Morales by a 56-41 vote on April 10, 2019.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: David Morales |
| Court:United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 363 days after nomination. |
 ANominated: April 12, 2018 |
| AABA Rating:Unanimously well qualified |
| Questionnaire:Questionnaire |
| AHearing: June 6, 2018 |
| QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| AReported: June 28, 2018 (first)/February 7, 2019 (second) |
| AConfirmed: April 10, 2019 |
| AVote: 56-41 |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Morales on April 10, 2019, on a vote of 56-41.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.
| David Morales confirmation vote (April 10, 2019) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic | 4 | 39 | 2 | ||||||
 Republican | 52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 56 | 41 | 3 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Morales was the fifth judge to be confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, theU.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 todistrict court judgeships from 30 hours after invokingcloture to two.[5]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as thenuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[6]
It was the third use of thenuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to theSupreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[7] For more, seeFilibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Morales' nomination on June 6, 2018.[8] The committee reported Morales' nomination to the full Senate on June 28, 2018, on an 11-10 vote.[9]
TheSenate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Morales' nomination a second time on February 7, 2019, on a 12-10 vote. His nomination was one of 44 that Sen.Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reported that day.[10]
Nomination
Morales was nominated to succeed JudgeJanis Jack, who assumedsenior status on June 1, 2011.[2]
At thesine die adjournment of the115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Morales's nomination to President Trump.[11] Morales was one of 51 individuals the president re-nominated on January 23, 2019.[12]
TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Moraleswell qualified for the position.[13] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.
Early life and education
Morales was born in 1968 inEdinburg, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from St. Edward’s University in 1990 and hisJ.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1994.[4]
Professional career
- 2019-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- 2016-2019: Partner, Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
- 2014-2016: Deputy general counsel, University of Texas System Board of Regents
- 2011-2014: General counsel, Office of theGovernor of Texas
- 1994-2011: Office of theAttorney General of Texas
- 2010-2011: Deputy first assistant attorney
- 2007-2010: Deputy attorney general for civil litigation
- 2004-2007: Associate deputy attorney general for litigation and chief ethics officer
- 1994-2004: Assistant attorney general, General Litigation Division[4]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2014: Distinguished Alumnus Award, Incarnate Word Academy inCorpus Christi, Texas
- 2005-2006: Rising Star,Texas Monthly and Law and Politics[4]
Associations
- 2016-present: Federal Bar Association, Western District of Texas
- 2016-present: Texas Supreme Court Historical Society
- 2014-2015: National Association of College and University Attorneys
- 2005-present: Austin Bar Association
- 1995-present: Fifth Circuit Bar Association
- 1994-present: State Bar of Texas[4]
About the court
TheUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is one of 94United States district courts. The court's headquarters are inHouston and has six additional offices in the district. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit based in downtownNew Orleans at theJohn Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.
The Southern District of Texas hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are seven court divisions: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, and Victoria.Click here to see a list of counties in each division.
To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.
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 theSenate 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 ablue 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
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
External links
Officeholder United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas |
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
- LinkedIn profile
- Profile from Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP (archived April 2018)
- White House press release announcing nomination (2018)
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Twelfth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Twelfth Wave of United States Attorneys, and Sixth Wave of United States Marshals," April 10, 2018
- ↑2.02.12.22.3Congress.gov, "PN240 — David Steven Morales — The Judiciary," accessed April 11, 2019
- ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Morales, David Steven," accessed April 26, 2019
- ↑4.04.14.24.34.4Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: David Steven Morales," accessed April 11, 2019
- ↑The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑Congress.gov, "PN1841 — David Steven Morales — The Judiciary," accessed April 11, 2019
- ↑Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," June 28, 2018
- ↑U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," February 7, 2019
- ↑Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjournssine die or recesses for more than 30 days.Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 11, 2017
- ↑WhiteHouse.gov, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 23, 2019
- ↑American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees: 115th Congress," accessed April 11, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Janis Jack | Southern District of Texas 2019–Current | Succeeded by: NA |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges | • Randy Crane • Keith Ellison (Texas) • Melinda Harmon • George Hanks • Jeff Brown (Texas) • Alfred Bennett • Rolando Olvera • Nelva Gonzales Ramos • Marina Garcia Marmolejo • Diana Saldana • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • David Morales (Texas federal judge) • Charles Eskridge • Drew Tipton • John Kazen | ||
| Senior judges | Janis Jack • Micaela Alvarez • Lynn Hughes • Andrew Hanen • Melinda Harmon • Ricardo Hinojosa • David Hittner • Kenneth Hoyt (Texas) • Sim Lake • Gray Miller • John Rainey • Lee Rosenthal • Hilda Tagle • Ewing Werlein • | ||
| Magistrate judges | Ronald G. Morgan • J. Scott Hacker • Diana Quiroga • Jason Libby (Texas) • Ignacio Torteya III • Dena Palermo • Juan F. Alanis • Andrew M. Edison • Sam S. Sheldon • Julie Hampton • Christopher dos Santos • Nadia Medrano • Mitchel Neurock • | ||
| Former Article III judges | Samuel Kent • Reynaldo Garza • Waller Thomas Burns (Texas judge) • Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr. • Hayden Head • Nancy Atlas • Vanessa Gilmore • Thomas Martin Kennerly • James Allred • Adriana Arce-Flores • John Black (Texas) • Calvin Botley • Brian Owsley • Norman Black • Carl Bue • George Cire • Ben Connally • Finis Cowan • Owen Cox • James DeAnda • Hugh Gibson • Allen Hannay • Joe Ingraham • Gabrielle McDonald • James Noel • Robert O'Conor • Woodrow Seals • John Singleton • Ross Sterling • Filemon Vela (Texas judge) • Gregg Costa • | ||
| Former Chief judges | Reynaldo Garza • Hayden Head • Ricardo Hinojosa • Lee Rosenthal • George Kazen • Norman Black • Ben Connally • James DeAnda • Allen Hannay • John Singleton • | ||
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Eastern District of Texas,Western District of Texas,Northern District of Texas,Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Eastern District of Texas,Western District of Texas,Northern District of Texas,Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court•Texas Court of Appeals•Texas Court of Criminal Appeals•Texas District Courts•Texas County Courts•Texas County Courts at Law•Texas Statutory Probate Courts•Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas •Texas judicial elections •Judicial selection in Texas
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- Appointed by Donald Trump
- Confirmed 2019
- Federal Article III judges
- Federal judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Federal judiciary nominee, April 2018
- Texas
- Federal judiciary nominee, April, 2018
- Federal judge, Southern District of Texas
- Legacy people articles
