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Robert Summerhays

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Robert Summerhays

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Tenure

2018 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas, Austin, 1989

Law

University of Texas, Austin, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Fort Worth, TX

Contact

Official website

Robert Rees Summerhays is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on January 24, 2018, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on September 6, 2018, by a voice vote.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana 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 his nomination, Summerhays was thechief judge for theUnited States bankruptcy court, Western District of Louisiana. He served on the court from October 2006 to September 2018.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (2018-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

Summerhays was nominated to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on January 24, 2018. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Summerhays on September 6, 2018, by a voice vote.^[2] He received commission on September 19, 2018.^[1] To read more about the federal nomination process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Robert Summerhays
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Progress
Confirmed 225 days after nomination.
ANominated: January 24, 2018
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: April 11, 2018

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: May 10, 2018
AConfirmed: September 6, 2018
AVote: Voice vote

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Summerhays on September 6, 2018, by voice vote.^[2]

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Summerhays had his hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on April 11, 2018. The committee voted to advance Summerhays' nomination to the full Senate on May 10, 2018.^[2]

Nomination

Summerhays was nominated to replace JudgeRebecca Doherty, who assumedsenior status on June 5, 2017.

TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Summerhayswell qualified for the position.^[4] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

United States bankruptcy court, Western District of Louisiana (2006-2018)

Summerhays served aschief judge on theUnited States bankruptcy court, Western District of Louisiana. He served on the court from October 2006 to September 2018.^[3]

Education

Summerhays earned his bachelor's degree in 1989 and hisJ.D. in 1994 from the University of Texas. In law school, he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as an associate editor of the Texas Law Review.^[1]^[3]

Professional career

2018-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
2013-present: Adjunct professor of business law, B.I. Moody College of Business Administration, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2006-2018: Judge,United States bankruptcy court, Western District of Louisiana
1995-2006: Associate, partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
1994-1995: Law clerk to JudgeW. Eugene Davis of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit^[1]^[3]

About the court

Western District of Louisiana
Fifth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 7
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Terry A. Doughty
Active judges:James D. Cain, Jr.,Terry A. Doughty,Jerry Edwards Jr.,Maurice Hicks,David C. Joseph,Robert Summerhays,Alexander Van Hook Senior judges: Dee Drell,Elizabeth Erny Foote,Robert James,Tucker Melancon,James Trimble,Donald Walter

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana 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 Fifth Circuit, based inNew Orleans, at theJohn Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.

The Western District of Louisiana 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 Western District of Louisiana consists of all the followingparishes in the western part of the state ofLouisiana.^[5]

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.