Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Michael Delaney (New Hampshire)
Michael Delaney is a former Democratic Attorney General of New Hampshire. He was appointed to the position by Governor John H. Lynch in August 2009.[1]
Delaney's term ended March 31, 2013. He worked with incoming attorney general Joe Foster to transition out of the office.[2] Foster was officially sworn in on May 15, 2013.[3]
On January 31, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Delaney to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[4][5] On May 18, 2023, Delaney asked President Biden to withdraw his nomination for the circuit court.[6] On May 30, 2023 President Biden withdrew his nomination for Delaney.[5]Click here for more information on Delaney's federal judicial nomination.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First 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 court, click here.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden
On January 31, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Delaney to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[4][5] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Michael Delaney |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit |
| Progress |
| Withdrawn 119 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: January 31, 2023
|
| ABA Rating: Well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: February 15, 2023
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
 Reported:
|
| Confirmed:
|
| Withdrawn: May 30, 2023
|
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Delaney's nomination on February 15, 2023. On May 18, 2023, Delaney asked President Biden to withdraw his nomination for the circuit court.[6] On May 30, 2023 President Biden withdrew his nomination for Delaney.[5]
Nomination
On January 18, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) announced his intent to nominate Delaney to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The president officially nominated Delaney on January 31, 2023.[4][5] On May 30, 2023 President Biden withdrew his nomination for Delaney.[5]
Delaney was nominated to replace Judge Jeffrey R. Howard, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2022.[5]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Delaney well qualified.[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Upon graduating from law school, Delaney joined the Machester-based law firm, Wiggin & Nourie, as an attorney specializing in business litigation. Delaney joined the Attorney General's office in 1999 as a prosecutor. In 2003, he was appointed Chief of the Homicide Prosecution Unit, responsible for the supervision of all homicide investigations and prosecutions in the State.
Delaney was appointed to serve as New Hampshire's Deputy Attorney General from 2004 to 2006. He resigned his position in 2006 to work as Gov. Lynch's legal counsel. In 2009, Gov. Lynch appointed Delaney as New Hampshire Attorney General following the resignation of Kelly A. Ayotte who chose to run for the United States Senate in November 2010.[8]
Education
- Graduated from St. John's Preparatory School (1987)
- Bachelor's degree, College of the Holy Cross (1991) in political science
- Juris Doctorate degree, Georgetown University Law Center (1994)[8]
Political career
Attorney General (2009-2013)
Delaney was appointed as New Hampshire Attorney General by Gov. Lynch in August 2009. The office was vacant following following the resignation of Kelly A. Ayotte who chose to run for the United States Senate in November 2010.[8]
About the court
| First Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 6 |
| Judges: 5 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: |
| Active judges: Seth Aframe, David Barron, Gustavo Gelpí, Lara Montecalvo, Julie Rikelman Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the First 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 John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts. There is another circuit courthouse located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the court sits for two weeks a year.
Two judges of the First Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Stephen Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994 by Bill Clinton (D), and David Souter was appointed in 1990 by George H. W. Bush (R).
The First Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases fall under federal law, and may be either civil or criminal in nature. Appeals of rulings by the First Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the circuit justice for the First Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit has jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts:
- District of Maine
- District of Massachusetts
- District of New Hampshire
- District of Puerto Rico
- District of Rhode Island
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.
See also
- New Hampshire Attorney General
- Attorney General
- Governor of New Hampshire
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official New Hampshire Attorney General website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑ Blue Hampshire, "Gov. John Lynch will nominate Michael Delaney as the state's next Attorney General" 9 July, 2009
- ↑ Concord Monitor, "Mike Delaney to end tenure as N.H. attorney general," March 19, 2013
- ↑ Nashua Patch, "Foster is now Attorney General," May 15, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The White House, "President Biden Names Twenty-Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees," January 18, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Congress.gov, "PN288 — Michael Arthur Delaney — The Judiciary," January 31, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Reuters, "Biden appeals court nominee Delaney asks to withdraw after bipartisan opposition," May 19, 2023
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ONTHE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," February 14, 2023
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Department of Justice New Hampshire, "Michael Delaney" accessed November 3, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kelly A. Ayotte (R) |
New Hampshire Attorney General 2009-2013 |
Succeeded by Joe Foster (D) |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Hampshire • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Hampshire
State courts:
New Hampshire Supreme Court • New Hampshire Superior Courts • New Hampshire Circuit Courts • New Hampshire Probate Courts • New Hampshire District Court • New Hampshire Family Division
State resources:
Courts in New Hampshire • New Hampshire judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Hampshire
