This is a regular series on the progress of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees in the Senate.
WASHINGTON (CN) - The Senate confirmed four of President Donald Trump's nominees to federal district courts this week, while the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced six other nominees.
Charles Eskridge, picked for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, received the most opposition from Democrats of any of the four judges confirmed Wednesday, but still cleared the Senate on a bipartisan 61-31 vote.
Eskridge since 2015 has worked at the Houston firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, having spent the previous decade as an associate and partner at the firm Susman Godfrey in the same city.
A member of the Federalist Society, Democrats questioned Eskridge about his partisan leanings, particularly his donations to Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Texas Republicans who both sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Eskridge explained he knew both senators before they took office and said his donations were "not with respect towards my application" for a federal judgeship. Cruz and Cornyn recommended Eskridge after a bipartisan judicial screening panel identified him as a potential candidate.
"Throughout his impressive career, Charles has proven himself a seasoned litigator, capable of handling complex cases," Cornyn said in a statement Wednesday. "I have no doubt he will serve Texas well from the federal bench."
Rachel Kovner will now take a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York after an 88-3 vote on Wednesday. Kovner was first nominated for the position in May 2018, but the Senate did not take up her nomination before the end of the year.
A former federal prosecutor in New York City, Kovner enjoyed the support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Kovner was also a former clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and since 2013 has worked as assistant to the solicitor general at the Justice Department, frequently representing the federal government in arguments before the Supreme Court.
David Novak was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia with a similar 89-3 vote on Wednesday. Novak has served as a magistrate judge on the same court since 2012 and spent the previous 18 years as a federal prosecutor in Virginia.
He was involved in the high-profile prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui, who pleaded guilty in 2005 for his role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and remains the only person involved in the plot to be sentenced in U.S. courts.
Novak, who was also nominated for a judgeship by President George W. Bush, came with the recommendation of Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, who praised his confirmation Wednesday.
"We are pleased that the Senate voted to confirm Judge Novak for the Eastern District Court of Virginia," the senators said in a joint statement. "His experience prosecuting national security matters at the federal level and his service as a magistrate judge have proven he is prepared for the complex cases that will come across his docket. Judge Novak's distinguished record and praise from the Virginia legal community give us confidence he will serve effectively in this role."
Finally, the Senate confirmed Frank Volk to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia with a 92-0 vote on Wednesday.