Edward O’Connell
Edward O’Connell is a confirmed nominee to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. On May 6, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate O’Connell to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[1] He officially nominated O’Connell on May 12, 2025. O’Connell was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 18, 2025, by a vote of 51-47.[2] O’Connell will join the court upon receiving his judicial commission and taking his judicial oath. Click here for more information on O’Connell's federal judicial nomination.
O’Connell is Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.[3]
The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is a trial court of general jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the court, click here.
Judicial nominations and appointments
Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On May 6, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced that he would nominate Edward O’Connell to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[1] He officially nominated O’Connell on May 12, 2025. O’Connell was confirmed by a 51-47 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 18, 2025.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Edward O’Connell |
| Court: Superior Court of the District of Columbia |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 129 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: May 12, 2025
|
 ABA Rating:
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: July 24, 2025
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: July 30, 2025
|
| Confirmed: September 18, 2025
|
| Vote: 51-47
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed O’Connell by a vote of 51-47 on September 18, 2025.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Edward O’Connell confirmation vote (DATE) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
0 | 45 | 0 | ||||||
 Republican |
51 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 51[4] | 47 | 0 | ||||||
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held hearings on O’Connell's nomination on July 24, 2025. O’Connell was reported to the full Senate on July 30, 2025, after a 15-0 committee vote.[5][6]
Nomination
President Donald Trump officially nominated O’Connell on May 12, 2025.[2] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee hearing. O’Connell was nominated to replace Judge Alfred S. Irving, who assumed senior status on March 21, 2025.[7]
Biography
Education
Edward A. O’Connell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Catholic University of America and a J.D. from Quinnipiac School of Law. [8]
About the court
| Local Courts |
|---|
|
| Trial courts and judges |
| Elections by state |
| Judicial selection by state |
| View courts by state: |
The Superior Court of the District of Columbia resides in Washington, D.C. It is a trial court of general jurisdiction established by the U.S. Congress in 1970.[9]
Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
The Superior Court handles all local trial matters. This includes topics such as:[10]
- Civil law
- Criminal law
- Family law
- Probate
- Taxes
- Landlord-tenant
- Small claims
- Traffic
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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," accessed May 7, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Congress.gov, "PN150-5 — Edward Aloysius O'Connell — The Judiciary," accessed May 15, 2025
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "White House Press Release - President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Candidate Nominations," accessed May 7, 2025
- ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑ United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, "Business Meeting on July 30, 2025," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, "Nominations," accessed July 26, 2025
- ↑ DC.gov, "Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure Announces Fitness Reviews of Judges Seeking a Recommendation for Initial Appointment or Reappointment as Senior Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia," accessed May 19, 2025
- ↑ DC.gov, "Judicial Nomination Commission," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ District of Columbia Courts, "About the Superior Court," accessed March 30, 2021
- ↑ District of Columbia Courts, "About the Superior Court," accessed March 30, 2021
