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Thompson Michael Dietz

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Nonpartisan

United States Court of Federal Claims Judge

Tenure

2020 - Present

Term ends

2035

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

Clemson University, 2001

Law

Tulane University Law School, 2005

Personal

Birthplace

New Orleans, LA

Contact

Official website

Thompson Michael Dietz is a judge on theUnited States Court of Federal Claims. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on July 2, 2020, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 19, 2020, by a vote of 51-36. To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States Court of Federal Claims is anArticle I tribunal, afederal court organized underArticle One of theUnited States Constitution. To learn more about the court,click here.

Dietz was associate counsel in the General Counsel’s office at CohnReznick, LLP, inRoseland, New Jersey from 2012 to 2020.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Federal Claims (2020-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On July 2, 2020, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Dietz to a seat on theUnited States Court of Federal Claims. He was confirmed by a 51-36 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 19, 2020.^[1] He received commission on December 22, 2020. To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Thompson Michael Dietz
Court:United States Court of Federal Claims
Progress
Confirmed 170 days after nomination.
ANominated: July 2, 2020
AABA Rating:Not rated by the ABA
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: September 9, 2020

QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: October 22, 2020
AConfirmed: December 19, 2020
AVote: 51-36

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Dietz by a vote of 51-36 on December 19, 2020.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Dietz confirmation vote (December 19, 2020)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	10	35	1
Republican	40	0	12
Independent	1	1	0
Total	51	36	13

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Dietz had his hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on September 9, 2020.^[2] Dietz's nomination was reported to the full Senate on October 22, 2020, after a 12-0 committee vote. No Democratic committee members were present to advance his nomination.^[3]

Nomination

On June 15, 2020, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Dietz to a seat on theUnited States Court of Federal Claims.^[4] Dietz was officially nominated on July 2.^[1]

Dietz was nominated to replace JudgeVictor J. Wolski, who assumedsenior status on July 13, 2018.

Early life and education

Dietz was born in 1979 inNew Orleans, Louisiana.^[5] He earned his B.A. in political science and government from Clemson University in 2001. He obtained hisJ.D. from Tulane University Law School in 2005.^[6]

Professional career

2020-present: Judge,United States Court of Federal Claims
2012-2020: Associate counsel, CohnReznick, LLP, inRoseland, New Jersey
2011-2012: Contracts manager, Reznick Group, P.C.
2010-2016: Pro bono attorney, Community Law Center inBaltimore, Maryland
2006-2011: Senior contracts representative, General Dynamics Land Systems inWashington, D.C.
2005-2006: Attorney, Legal Source in Washington, D.C.^[5]^[6]

Dietz is a certified professional contracts manager.^[6]

Awards and associations

Awards

2007: Certificate of commendation, U.S. Marine Corps^[5]

Associations

2011-present: National Contract Management Association^[5]

About the court

Court of Federal Claims
Federal Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 16
Judges: 16
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief:Elaine Kaplan
Active judges:Armando Omar Bonilla,Kathryn Davis,Thompson Michael Dietz,Philip Hadji,Richard Hertling,Ryan Holte,Elaine Kaplan,Carolyn Lerner,Robin M. Meriweather,Edward Meyers,Eleni Roumel,Stephen Schwartz,Molly Silfen,Matthew Solomson,Zachary Somers,David A. Tapp Senior judges: Susan G. Braden,Eric G. Bruggink,Lynn J. Bush,Edward J. Damich,Nancy B. Firestone,Robert H. Hodges Jr.,Marian Blank Horn,Charles F. Lettow,Loren A. Smith,Margaret M. Sweeney,Thomas C. Wheeler,John Paul Wiese,Mary Ellen Coster Williams,Victor J. Wolski

TheUnited States Court of Federal Claims is aUnited States federal court that hears claims against the U.S. government. It was created in 1982 as anArticle I tribunal.

Judgments of the court may be appealed to theFederal Circuit.

The court has jurisdiction over claims across the United States for over $10,000 and congruent jurisdiction with theUnited States District Courts on claims under $10,000.^[7]

The court has original jurisdiction over all money claims against the federal government based in federal statute, executive order, or contract. This jurisdiction also includes bid protests and vaccine compensations. The approximate breakdown of the cases by jurisdiction includes:

Tax Refund Suits

25%

Contract Claims

33%

Fifth Amendment takings

10%

The rest constitute other varieties of claims.^[7]

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.