Three nominees for judgeships in Virginia — one on the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and two U.S. District Court seats in Alexandria — were approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, clearing the way for confirmation by the full Senate.
President Joe Biden nominated Toby J. Heytens, Virginia’s solicitor general, for a seat on the appeals court and Patricia Tolliver Giles, a federal prosecutor, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a former federal public defender, for the U.S. District Court vacancies.
Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said the nominees could be confirmed by the Senate as early as next week. Tobias said Thursday’s committee votes were 14-8 for Heytens; 17-5 for Giles; and 15-9 for Nachmanoff.
In a prepared statement, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said, “We recommended Mr. Heytens, Ms. Tolliver Giles, and Judge Nachmanoff to President Biden and are confident all three nominees will serve Virginia and the country with distinction.
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“We urge our colleagues to swiftly confirm Mr. Heytens to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and Ms. Tolliver Giles and Judge Nachmanoff to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.”
Warner and Kaine sent a letter to the Biden administration in recommending Heytens for the vacancy on the appeals court following Judge Barbara M. Keenan’s decision to take senior status. Giles and Nachmanoff would fill seats of judges Liam O’Grady and Anthony Trenga, who also decided to take senior status.