Jane Kelly Nominated to be Second Woman (Ever) on Eighth Circuit

Yesterday, President Obama nominated Jane Kelly to a seat on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, Ms. Kelly would join Judge Diana Murphy as the second female judge – ever – on the Eighth Circuit. And Judge Murphy, to date the first and only, wasn’t confirmed to the Eighth Circuit until 1994! But I digress.

Ms. Kelly, who is currently an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Iowa, will begin the Senate Judiciary Committee process shortly.  Let’s hope the Senate processes her nomination expeditiously, without the reflexive obstructionism that resulted in such egregious delays for judicial nominees last year.