Darrel Papillion

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Darrel Papillion
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Progress
	Confirmed 70 days after nomination.
	Nominated: March 21, 2023
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: April 18, 2023
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: May 11, 2023
	Confirmed: May 30, 2023
	Vote: 59-31

Darrel Papillion is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. On March 21, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated him to the court. Papillion was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 30, 2023, by a vote of 59-31.^[1]^[2] Papillion was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana 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.

Prior to joining the court, Papillion's career experience included working as a partner at Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens, LLC.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (2023-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On March 21, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Papillion to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.^[1] Papillion received commission on June 1, 2023.^[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Papillion by a vote of 59-31 on May 30, 2023.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, here.

Papillion confirmation vote (May 30, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	44	0	4
Republican	12	31	6
Independent	3	0	0
Total	59	31	10

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Papillion's nomination on April 18, 2023. He was reported to the full Senate on May 11, 2023, after a 15-6 committee vote.^[1]

Nomination

On March 20, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Papillion to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The president officially nominated Papillion on March 21, 2023.^[1]

Papillion was nominated to replace Judge Carl Barbier, who assumed senior status on January 1, 2023.^[1]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Papillion well qualified with one recusal.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Papillion earned a B.A. in history from Louisiana State University in 1990. He obtained a J.D. from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1994.^[2]

Professional career

2023-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
2020-2023: Special prosecutor, East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2013-2023: Mediator, Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1999-2023: Private practice, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
1995-1999: Private practice, New Orleans, Louisiana
1994-1995: Law clerk, Hon. Catherine D. Kimball, Louisiana Supreme Court^[2]

About the court

Eastern District of Louisiana parishes (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of Louisiana has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. Like all U.S. district courts, the court has original jurisdiction over civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States; certain civil actions between citizens of different states; civil actions within the admiralty or maritime jurisdiction of the United States; criminal prosecutions brought by the United States; and other types of cases and controversies.^[6]^[7]^[8] It also has appellate jurisdiction over a limited class of judgments, orders, and decrees.^[9]

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Louisiana consists of all the following parishes in the eastern part of the state of Louisiana.^[10]

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.