White House Sends Three Federal Judicial Nominations to Senate
The White House transmitted nominations for Angela Veronica Colmenero to the Southern District of Texas, Daniel Desmond Domenico to the Tenth Circuit, and Michael C. Martin to the Eastern District of Michigan. The moves fill vacancies on courts that handle cases from border security to multistate appeals.
680news.comWASHINGTON, May 12, 2026 — The White House sent three federal judicial nominations to the Senate on Tuesday, filling vacancies on district and appellate courts.
The nominations cover two district court seats and one circuit court seat. Angela Veronica Colmenero of Texas was nominated to serve as United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, replacing retired Judge Lee H. Rosenthal. Daniel Desmond Domenico of Colorado was nominated to serve as United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit.
Michael C. Martin of Michigan was nominated to serve as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The Southern District of Texas hears roughly one-fifth of the nation's immigration and border-related federal cases each year. The Tenth Circuit covers Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming and reviews appeals from those district courts. The Eastern District of Michigan processes cases in the Detroit metropolitan area and surrounding counties.
The nominations shift the courts from having vacancies to having named nominees pending Senate confirmation. Once confirmed, the judges would receive lifetime appointments under Article III of the Constitution. The Senate Judiciary Committee must next schedule hearings and votes before the full Senate can confirm or reject each nominee.
Downstream, confirmation would allow the Southern District of Texas to restore full staffing on civil and criminal dockets that have operated short-handed since Rosenthal's retirement. A confirmed Tenth Circuit judge would participate in three-judge panels that decide roughly 1,200 appeals annually.
The Eastern District of Michigan would regain capacity on its docket, which includes automotive, bankruptcy and civil rights cases. Senate confirmation timelines will now determine when these seats return to full operation.
This batch follows the standard process used by every administration to transmit Article III nominations. The White House release lists the nominees, their home states and the specific vacancies they would fill. Congress established these judgeships under statutes that set the number of authorized seats per circuit and district; the current vacancies exist because prior judges retired or took senior status.
Primary sources: White House · U.S. Courts
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