Mary Dimke

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Mary Dimke
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Tenure
2021 - Present
Years in position
4
Predecessor:Rosanna Peterson (Nonpartisan)
Prior offices:
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Years in office: 2016 - 2021
Education
Bachelor's
Pepperdine University, 1999
Law
Vanderbilt Law School, 2002
Contact

Mary Dimke is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. She was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on August 5, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 18, 2021, by a vote of 47-23.[1][2][3] Dimke was one of 235Article III judges nominated by PresidentJoe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed byJoe Biden,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington 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.

Prior to her nomination, Dimke was afederal magistrate judge for theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. She assumed office on January 14, 2016.[4][2]

Judicial nominations and appointments

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (2021-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On August 5, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Dimke to theU.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.[3] She was confirmed by a 47-23 vote of theU.S. Senate on December 18, 2021. She received commission on December 21, 2021.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Mary Dimke
Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Progress
Confirmed 135 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: August 5, 2021
ApprovedAABA Rating:Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: October 20, 2021
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: December 2, 2021 
ApprovedAConfirmed: December 18, 2021
ApprovedAVote: 47-23


Confirmation vote

TheU.S. Senate confirmed Dimke by a vote of 47-23 on December 18, 2021.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Dimke confirmation vote (December 18, 2021)
PartyYeaNayNo vote
Electiondot.pngDemocratic4206
Ends.pngRepublican42323
Grey.png Independent101
Total472330

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Dimke's nomination on October 20, 2021. The committee voted to advance Dimke's nomination to the full Senate on December 2, 2021.

Nomination

On August 5, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Dimke to theU.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.[2] The president officially nominated Dimke on the same day.[3]

Dimke was nominated to replace JudgeRosanna Peterson, who assumedsenior status on October 1, 2021.[3][5]

TheAmerican Bar Association rated DimkeWell Qualified.[6] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Eastern District of Washington, magistrate judge (2016-2021)

Dimke was afederal magistrate judge for theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. She assumed her position on January 14, 2016.[4]

Biography

Education

Dimke earned a bachelor's degree,magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1999. She earned aJ.D. from Vanderbilt Law School in 2002.[2][7]

Professional career

About the court

The Counties of the Eastern District of Washington (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of Washington hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Washington consists of all the followingcounties in the eastern part of the state ofWashington. The court's headquarters are inSpokane, with courthouses inYakima, andRichland.

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

External links

Officeholder

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington

  • Website

    • Footnotes

    Political offices
    Preceded by:
    Rosanna Peterson    		Eastern District of Washington
    2021-present
    Seat #4    		Succeeded by:
    NA
    Preceded by:
    James Hutton    		Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Washington
    2016-2021    		Succeeded by:
    TBD