John Sinatra
John L. Sinatra, Jr. is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of New York. PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Sinatra to a seat on this court on May 10, 2018.[1] TheU.S. Senate confirmed Sinatra by a 75-18 vote on December 4, 2019.[2] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.
TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of New York is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the Western District of New York,click here.
Sinatra was a partner with Hodgson Russ from 2008 to 2019.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Western District of New York (2018)
On May 10, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Sinatra to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of New York.[1] TheU.S. Senate confirmed Sinatra on December 4 by a 75-18 vote.[2] He received commission the next day.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: John L. Sinatra, Jr. |
| Court:United States District Court for the Western District of New York |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 573 days after nomination. |
 ANominated: May 10, 2018 |
| AABA Rating:Unanimously Qualified |
| Questionnaire:Questionnaire |
| AHearing: August 1, 2018 |
| QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| AReported: June 20, 2019 (second)/ September 13, 2018 (first) |
| AConfirmed: December 4, 2019 |
| AVote: 75-18 |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Sinatra on December 4, 2019, on a vote of 75-18.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.
| Sinatra confirmation vote (December 4, 2019) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic | 24 | 18 | 3 | ||||||
 Republican | 50 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 75 | 18 | 7 | ||||||
Opposition from a home-state senator
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted against Sinatra. Gillibrand said she was concerned about Sinatra's affiliation withThe Federalist Society. "As a member of the Federalist Society, Sinatra’s views are far outside the judicial mainstream and he has expressed pro-corporation views in the past. The federal judiciary must be fair and impartial, and I have deep concerns that he would not represent the values of New York State," Gillibrand said.[4]
Sen. Minority LeaderChuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) supported Sinatra's nomination. Schumer's spokeswoman, Allison Biasotti, said Sinatra "has strong legal credentials, broad bipartisan support in Western New York and the respect of his hometown, Buffalo, where he was born, raised and educated. His addition to the Western District federal bench will increase the productivity of that court and speed access to decisions for those seeking legal redress."[4]
Change in Senate rules
Sinatra was 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 a hearing on Sinatra's nomination on August 1, 2018. His nomination was reported out of committee on September 13, 2018, by a 16-5 vote.[8][9] The committee voted a second time, 16-6, to advance his nomination to the full Senate on June 20, 2019.[10]
Nomination
PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Sinatra to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of New York on May 10, 2018.[1] Sinatra was nominated to succeed JudgeWilliam Skretny, who assumedsenior status on March 8, 2015.[9]
At thesine die adjournment of the115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Sinatra's nomination to the president.[9][11]
Trump announced his intent to renominate Sinatra on April 8, 2019.[12] The second nomination was officially sent to the Senate on May 21, 2019.[13]
TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Sinatraqualified for the position.[14] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.
Early life and education
Sinatra was born in 1972 inBuffalo, New York. He received his undergraduate degree,magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1993. He obtained hisJ.D.,cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1996.[1][15]
Professional career
- 2019-present: Judge,U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
- 2008-2019: Partner, Hodgson Russ, LLP
- 2007-2008: Senior counsel, United States Department of Commerce
- 1998-2007: Associate, Jones Day
- 1996-1998: Law clerk to the judges on theNew York Court of Appeals[1][15]
Associations
- 2012-present: Advisory board member, American Red Cross, Western New York Chapter
- 2012-present: Director, St. Thomas More Guild, Inc.
- 2008-present: Member, Erie County (New York) Bar Association
- 2008-present: Member, New York State Bar Association
- 1998-2007: Member, Cleveland (Ohio) Bar Association
- 1993-present: Member,The Federalist Society[15]
About the court
| Western District of New York |
|---|
| Second Circuit |
 |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 4 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief:Elizabeth A. Wolford |
| Active judges:John Sinatra,Meredith Vacca,Lawrence Joseph Vilardo,Elizabeth A. Wolford Senior judges: |
TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of New York is one of 94United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in Lower Manhattan at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse.
The Western District of New York hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
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 Western District of New York
- United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
External links
Officeholder United States District Court for the Western District of New York |
- Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
- LinkedIn profile
- Biography from Hodgson Russ LLP (archived July 2018)
- United States District Court for the Western District of New York
- United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.21.31.4White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fourteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Thirteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Eighth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees," May 10, 2018
- ↑2.02.12.2Congress.gov, "PN783 — John L. Sinatra Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed December 5, 2019
- ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Sinatra, John Leonard, Jr." accessed December 9, 2019
- ↑4.04.1The Buffalo News, "Senate confirms Sinatra as federal judge; Gillibrand votes no," December 4, 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
- ↑U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," September 13, 2018
- ↑9.09.19.2Congress.gov, "PN1966 — John L. Sinatra Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed September 14, 2018
- ↑U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," June 20, 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
- ↑White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominations," April 8, 2019
- ↑White House, "Twelve Nominations Sent to the Senate," May 21, 2019
- ↑American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article I judicial nominees: 115th Congress," accessed September 14, 2018
- ↑15.015.115.2U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: John Sinatra," accessed April 9, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | United States District Court for the Western District of New York 2019-Present | Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Thomas Parker •Elizabeth Branch •Neil Gorsuch •Amul Thapar •David C. Nye •John K. Bush •Kevin Newsom •Timothy J. Kelly •Ralph Erickson •Scott Palk •Trevor McFadden •Joan Larsen •Amy Coney Barrett •Allison Eid •Stephanos Bibas •Donald Coggins Jr. •Dabney Friedrich •Greg Katsas •Steven Grasz •Don Willett •James Ho •William L. Campbell Jr. •David Stras •Tilman E. Self III •Karen Gren Scholer •Terry A. Doughty •Claria Horn Boom •John Broomes •Rebecca Grady Jennings •Kyle Duncan •Kurt Engelhardt •Michael B. Brennan •Joel Carson •Robert Wier •Fernando Rodriguez Jr. •Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 | Andrew Oldham •Amy St. Eve •Michael Scudder •John Nalbandian •Mark Bennett •Andrew Oldham •Britt Grant •Colm Connolly •Maryellen Noreika •Jill Otake •Jeffrey Beaverstock •Emily Coody Marks •Holly Lou Teeter •Julius Richardson •Charles B. Goodwin •Barry Ashe •Stan Baker •A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. •Terry F. Moorer •Susan Baxter •William Jung •Alan Albright •Dominic Lanza •Eric Tostrud •Charles Williams •Nancy E. Brasel •James Sweeney •Kari A. Dooley •Marilyn J. Horan •Robert Summerhays •Brett Kavanaugh •David Porter •Liles Burke •Michael Juneau •Peter Phipps •Lance Walker •Richard Sullivan •Eli Richardson •Ryan Nelson •Chad F. Kenney, Sr. •Susan Brnovich •William M. Ray, II •Jeremy Kernodle •Thomas Kleeh •J.P. Hanlon •Mark Norris •Jonathan Kobes •Michael Brown •David Counts | ||
| 2019 | Eric Miller •Chad Readler •Eric Murphy •Neomi Rao •Paul Matey •Allison Jones Rushing •Bridget S. Bade •Roy Altman •Patrick Wyrick •Holly Brady •David Morales •Andrew Brasher •J. Campbell Barker •Rodolfo Ruiz •Daniel Domenico •Michael Truncale •Michael Park •Joseph Bianco •Raúl Arias-Marxuach •Daniel Collins •Joshua Wolson •Wendy Vitter •Kenneth Kiyul Lee •Kenneth Bell •Stephen Clark •Howard Nielson •Rodney Smith •Jean-Paul Boulee •Sarah Daggett Morrison •Rossie Alston •Pamela A. Barker •Corey Maze •Greg Guidry •Matthew Kacsmaryk •Allen Winsor •Carl Nichols •James Cain, Jr. •Tom Barber •J. Nicholas Ranjan •Clifton L. Corker •Peter Phipps •Daniel Bress •Damon Leichty •Wendy W. Berger •Peter Welte •Michael Liburdi •William Shaw Stickman •Mark Pittman •Karin J. Immergut •Jason Pulliam •Brantley Starr •Brian Buescher •James Wesley Hendrix •Timothy Reif •Martha Pacold •Sean Jordan •Mary Rowland •John M. Younge •Jeff Brown •Ada Brown •Steven Grimberg •Stephanie A. Gallagher •Steven Seeger •Stephanie Haines •Mary McElroy •David J. Novak •Frank W. Volk •Charles Eskridge •Rachel Kovner •Justin Walker •T. Kent Wetherell •Danielle Hunsaker •Lee Rudofsky •Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini •Steven Menashi •Robert J. Luck •Eric Komitee •Douglas Cole •John Sinatra •Sarah Pitlyk •Barbara Lagoa •Richard Myers II •Sherri Lydon •Patrick Bumatay •R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker •Anuraag Singhal •Karen Marston •Jodi Dishman •Mary Kay Vyskocil •Matthew McFarland •John Gallagher •Bernard Jones •Kea Riggs •Robert J. Colville •Stephanie Dawkins Davis •Gary R. Brown •David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 | Lawrence VanDyke •Daniel Traynor •John Kness •Joshua Kindred •Philip Halpern •Silvia Carreno-Coll •Scott Rash •John Heil •Anna Manasco •John L. Badalamenti •Drew Tipton •Andrew Brasher •Cory Wilson •Scott Hardy •David Joseph •Matthew Schelp •John Cronan •Justin Walker •Brett H. Ludwig •Christy Wiegand •Thomas Cullen •Diane Gujarati •Stanley Blumenfeld •Mark Scarsi •John Holcomb •Stephen P. McGlynn •Todd Robinson •Hala Jarbou •David Dugan •Iain D. Johnston •Franklin U. Valderrama •John Hinderaker •Roderick Young •Michael Newman •Aileen Cannon •James Knepp •Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson •Toby Crouse •Philip Calabrese •Taylor McNeel •Thomas Kirsch •Stephen Vaden •Katherine Crytzer •Fernando Aenlle-Rocha •Charles Atchley •Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 | Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain | ||
| 2026 | |||
Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Eastern District of New York,Western District of New York,Northern District of New York,Southern District of New York • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Eastern District of New York,Western District of New York,Northern District of New York,Southern District of New York
State courts:
New York Court of Appeals•New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division•New York Supreme Court•New York District Courts•New York County Courts•New York City Courts•New York Town and Village Courts•New York Family Courts•New York Surrogates' Courts•New York City Civil Court•New York City Criminal Courts•New York Court of Claims•New York Problem Solving Courts
State resources:
Courts in New York •New York judicial elections •Judicial selection in New York
- Pages using DynamicPageList3 parser function
- Appointed by Donald Trump
- Confirmed 2019
- Federal Article III judges
- Federal judge, United States District Court for the Western District of New York
- Federal judiciary nominee, May 2018
- New York
- Federal judge, Western District of New York
- Returned nominee 2019
- Former Federal court nominees
