Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin made the following statements on the U.S. Senate vote to confirm Pamela Pepper to the Eastern District of Wisconsin: 

Sen. Johnson said, “I appreciate all the hard work of those serving on our federal nominating commission, and I thank my colleague, Sen. Baldwin, for working with me on creating a successful bipartisan process that has now resulted in two new, well-qualified jurists in Wisconsin. Pamela Pepper’s intellectual curiosity, compassion and faithful adherence to the rule of law will serve the nation and the people of Wisconsin’s eastern district well.” 

“Addressing vacant federal judgeships in Wisconsin has been a top priority for me since I was sworn in to the Senate,” said U.S. Senator Baldwin.  “I am proud to have worked with Senator Johnson to put in place a nonpartisan Federal Nominating Commission and a process for moving judicial nominations forward because the people of Wisconsin deserve to have experienced and qualified judges working for them. Pamela Pepper has had a distinguished career as a judge, federal prosecutor, public defender and attorney in private practice. She will be an outstanding U.S. Federal District Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.” 

Judge Pepper’s Senate confirmation comes after James D. Peterson was confirmed by the Senate in May to a federal judgeship in the Western District of Wisconsin. 

The Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission, established by Senators Johnson and Baldwin, is currently reviewing applications for a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that resulted from Judge Terrance T. Evans taking senior status in 2010; Judge Evans passed away in 2011.  The six-person Commission, charged with making recommendations for vacancies in federal judgeships and U.S. attorney positions in Wisconsin, was established by the Senators on April 17, 2013. 

An online version of this release can be found here.

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