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Michael B. Brennan (Wisconsin)
2018 - Present
7
Michael B. Brennan is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on January 8, 2018, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 10, 2018, by a vote of 49-46.[1][2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the 7th Circuit Court, click here.
At the time of his nomination, he was a partner in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based office of Gass, Weber, Mullins LLC.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Brennan was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit by President Donald Trump (R) on January 8, 2018. The U.S. Senate confirmed Brennan on May 10, 2018, by a vote of 49-46.[2] He received commission on May 11, 2018.[3] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Michael B. Brennan |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 280 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: August 3, 2017
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| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified (with one abstention)
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| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
 Hearing:
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: February 15, 2018
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| Confirmed: May 10, 2018
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| Vote: 49-46
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Brennan on May 10, 2018, on a vote of 49-46.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Michael B. Brennan confirmation vote (May 10, 2018) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
0 | 44 | 3 | ||||||
 Republican |
49 | 0 | 2 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 49 | 46 | 5 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Brennan had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 24, 2018. The committee voted to advance Brennan's nomination to the full Senate on February 15, 2018.[2]
Nomination
Brennan was nominated to replace Judge Terence Evans, who served on the court until his death on August 10, 2011.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Brennan well qualified for the position, with one abstention.[4] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Education
Brennan received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1986 and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1989. During a period of his legal studies, Brennan served as the coordinating note and comment editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. He also won the Julius H. Miner Moot Court Competition during law school.[1][5]
Professional career
- 2018-Present: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- 2008-2018: Private practice, Milwaukee, Wis.
- 2000-2008: Judge, Milwaukee County Circuit Court
- 1997-1999: Assistant district attorney, Milwaukee County
- 1995-1997: Law clerk, Hon. Daniel A. Manion, United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- 1991-1995: Private practice, Milwaukee, Wis.
- 1994: Adjunct professor, Marquette University Law School
- 1989-1991: Law clerk, Hon. Robert W. Warren, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin[1][5]
About the court
| Seventh Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 11 |
| Judges: 11 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Diane Sykes |
| Active judges: Michael B. Brennan, Frank Easterbrook, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, Thomas L. Kirsch II, Joshua Kolar, John Z. Lee, Nancy Maldonado, Doris Pryor, Michael Scudder, Amy St. Eve, Diane Sykes Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Appeals are heard in the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.
Three judges of the Seventh Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Sherman Minton was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1949 by Harry Truman (D), John Paul Stevens was appointed in 1975 by Gerald Ford (R), and Amy Coney Barrett was appointed in 2020 by Donald Trump (R).
The 7th Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Brett Kavanaugh is the circuit justice for the 7th Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:
- Central District of Illinois
- Northern District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Indiana
- Southern District of Indiana
- Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Western District of Wisconsin
To read opinions published by this court, click [1].
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
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- Courts in Wisconsin
- Milwaukee County Circuit Court
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Brennan's biography from Gass Weber Mullins LLC
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump announces sixth wave of judicial candidates and fifth wave of U.S. Attorney candidates," August 3, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 United States Congress, "PN 1405 — Michael B. Brennan — The Judiciary," accessed April 18, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Brennan, Michael Brian," accessed April 18, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 18, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, "Michael B. Brennan," accessed August 9, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek | ||
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin
State courts:
Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts • Wisconsin Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin
