Stephanie Haines
2019 - Present
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Stephanie L. Haines is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. On March 5, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Haines to a seat on this court. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Haines on September 11, 2019.[1] She received commission on September 30, 2019.[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 U.S. district courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Haines was an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2019.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (2019)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On March 5, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Haines to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Haines on September 11, 2019.[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Stephanie L. Haines |
| Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 190 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: March 5, 2019
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| ABA Rating: Substantial majority qualified/minority well qualified
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| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: April 10, 2019
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| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: May 9, 2019
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| Confirmed: September 11, 2019
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| Vote: 94-0
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Haines on September 11, 2019, on a vote of 94-0.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Haines confirmation vote (September 11, 2019) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
41 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican |
52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 94 | 0 | 6 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Haines was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[4]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[5]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[6] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Haines' nomination on April 10, 2019.[7] Haines was reported to the full Senate on May 9, 2019, on a 21-1 committee vote. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) voted against forwarding Haines' nomination.[8]
Nomination
On March 1, 2019, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Haines to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.[3] The U.S. Senate officially received the nomination on March 5, 2019. Haines was nominated to succeed Judge David Cercone, who assumed senior status on November 24, 2017.[1]
The American Bar Association rated Haines qualified by a substantial majority and well qualified by a minority for the position.[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Early life and education
Haines was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1969. She obtained a B.A. from Juniata College in 1992 and a J.D. from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1995.[3][10]
Military service
Haines was a prosecutor and defense appellate specialist of the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. At the time of her federal judicial nomination, Haines was a reserve member of the United States Air Force JAG Corps.[3]
Professional career
- 2019-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- 2007-2019: Assistant United States attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania
- 2002-2007: Assistant United States attorney, Southern District of West Virginia[3][10]
Awards
- 2015: Law Enforcement Agency Directors (LEAD) of Western Pennsylvania Award
- 2015: LEAD of Western Pennsylvania Team Award
- 2010: Social Security Administration Philadelphia Regional Anti-Fraud Award[10]
Haines received the following military awards:
- 2016: Meritorious Service Medal
- 2015: Armed Forces Reserve Medal
- 2011: Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
- 2008: Air Force Commendation Medal
- 2005: National Defense Service Medal
- 2005: Global War on Terror Service Medal
- 2005: West Virginia Service Ribbon
- 2002: Meritorious Service Medal
- 1999: Army Commendation Medal
- 1999: Army Achievement Medal
- 1997: Army Air Assault Badge
- 1996: Army Service Ribbon[10]
About the court
| Western District of Pennsylvania |
|---|
| Third Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 10 |
| Judges: 10 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Mark Raymond Hornak |
| Active judges: Susan Baxter, Cathy Bissoon, Robert J. Colville, Stephanie Haines, William Scott Hardy, Marilyn J. Horan, Mark Raymond Hornak, J. Nicholas Ranjan, William Shaw Stickman IV, Christy Wiegand Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is one of 94 United States district courts.
When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in downtown Philadelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.
The Western District of Pennsylvania has original 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 Pennsylvania consists of all the following counties in the western part of the state of Pennsylvania.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
- Allegheny County
- Armstrong County
- Beaver County
- Bedford County
- Blair County
- Butler County
- Cambria County
- Clarion County
- Clearfield County
- Crawford County
- Elk County
- Erie County
- Fayette County
- Forest County
- Greene County
- Indiana County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- McKean County
- Mercer County
- Somerset County
- Venango County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland County
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 the Senate 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 a blue 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
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- Courts in Pennsylvania
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- 2019 White House press release announcing intent to nominate Haines to federal judgeship (2019)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN453 — Stephanie L. Haines — The Judiciary," accessed April 10, 2019
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Haines, Stephanie Lou," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, a United States Attorney Nominee, and United States Marshal Nominees," March 1, 2019
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," April 10, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," May 9, 2019
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed May 20, 2019
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Stephanie Lou Haines," accessed April 10, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania
State courts:
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania Superior Court • Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court • Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas • Pennsylvania Magisterial Districts
State resources:
Courts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania judicial elections • Judicial selection in Pennsylvania
