Anna Manasco

Northern District of Alabama
	Eleventh Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 8
	Judges: 6
	Vacancies: 2
Judges
	Chief: David Proctor
	Active judges: ; Annemarie C. Axon, Liles Burke, Madeline Haikala, Anna Manasco, Corey Maze, David Proctor; Senior judges:; Sharon Blackburn, Karon Bowdre, Virginia Hopkins, Inge Johnson, Charles Smith

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Anna Manasco
	Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Progress
	Confirmed 106 days after nomination.
	Nominated: February 4, 2020
	ABA Rating: Substantial majority qualified / Minority well qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: February 12, 2020
	QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: March 12, 2020
	Confirmed: May 20, 2020
	Vote: 71-21

Anna Manasco is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. She was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on February 4, 2020. The U.S. Senate confirmed Manasco on May 20, 2020, by a vote of 71-21. To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama 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.

Manasco was a partner at law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP from 2019 to 2020.^[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (2020-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On February 4, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Anna Manasco to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The U.S. Senate confirmed Manasco's nomination on May 20, 2020, by a 71-21 vote.^[2] She received commission on May 27, 2020.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Manasco on May 20, 2020, on a vote of 71-21.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Manasco confirmation vote (May 20, 2020)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	21	21	3
Republican	49	0	4
Independent	1	0	1
Total	71	21	8

Change in Senate rules

See also:

Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress

Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

United States federal courts

Manasco 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

Manasco had her hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 12, 2020.^[7] Manasco was reported to the full Senate on March 12, 2020, after a 15-6 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[8]

Nomination

On February 4, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Manasco to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. She was nominated to replace Judge Karon Bowdre, who assumed senior status on April 25, 2020.^[2]

The American Bar Association rated Manasco qualified by a substantial majority and well qualified by the minority for the position.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Early life and education

Manasco was born in 1980 in Montgomery, Alabama. She earned a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Emory University in 2002, a master's degree (2003) and doctoral degree (2008) from the University of Oxford, and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2008. At Yale, Manasco served as an executive editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review.^[1]^[10]

Professional career

2020-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
2009-2020: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
- 2019-2020: Partner
- 2009-2018: Associate
2008-2009: Law clerk to Judge William Pryor, United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit^[10]

Associations

Alabama Defense Lawyers Association
Alabama State Bar
American Bar Association
Birmingham Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
National Association of Women Lawyers^[10]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Anniston, Birmingham, Decatur, Florence, Gadsden, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.

The Counties of the Northern District of Alabama (click for larger map)

The Northern District of Alabama has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are seven court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Eastern Division, covering Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Talladega counties

The Jasper Division, covering Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston counties.

The Middle Division, covering Cherokee, Etowah, DeKalb, Marshall, and St. Clair counties.

The Northeastern Division, covering Cullman, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan counties.

The Northwestern Division, covering Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties.

The Southern Division, covering Blount, Jefferson, and Shelby counties.

The Western Division, covering Bibb, Greene, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa counties.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

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.