The U.S. Senate this morning broke deadlocks on more than 60 presidential nominees, including those for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Labor Relations Board and the D.C. Superior Court.
Two NLRB nominees were among those confirmed, bringing the board to full strength with five sitting members a week after the Supreme Court addressed questions surrounding prior vacancies. Brian Hayes, a former Republican congressional staff member, was confirmed to a term expiring in 2012. Mark Pearce, a Buffalo, N.Y., labor lawyer who was given a recess appointment to the NLRB three months ago, was confirmed to a term expiring in 2013.
Philip Moeller, a Republican member of FERC whose term was set to expire next week, was confirmed to a new term ending in 2015. Cheryl LaFleur, a Democratic campaign donor and former executive vice president of National Grid USA, was confirmed to the commission for a term expiring in 2014. Her confirmation brings FERC to full membership.
Three nominees were confirmed to be judges on the D.C. Superior Court for 15-year terms: Todd Edelman, a visiting associate professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and D.C. Magistrate Judges Milton Lee Jr. and Judith Smith.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced the deal over the nominees this morning on the Senate floor. "These are all very important, and it allows these people to get their lives in order," he said.
This article first appeared on The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.
