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Philip Calabrese
2020 - Present
4
J. Philip Calabrese is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on March 3, 2020, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 1, 2020, by a vote of 58-35.[1] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio 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.
Calabrese was a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio from 2019 to 2020.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (2020-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On March 3, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Calabrese to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He was confirmed by a 58-35 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 1, 2020. Calabrese received commission on December 3, 2020. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Philip Calabrese |
| Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 273 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: March 3, 2020
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: July 29, 2020
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 17, 2020
|
| Confirmed: December 1, 2020
|
| Vote: 58-35
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Calabrese by a vote of 58-35 on December 1, 2020.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Calabrese confirmation vote (December 1, 2020) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
8 | 34 | 3 | ||||||
 Republican |
50 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 58 | 35 | 7 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Calabrese 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.[2]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[3]
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.[4] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Calabrese had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 29, 2020.[5] The committee voted 12-10 to advance Calabrese's nomination to the full U.S. Senate on September 17, 2020.[6]
Nomination
On February 26, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Calabrese to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.[7] The president officially nominated Calabrese on March 3.[8]
Calabrese was nominated to replace Judge Christopher Boyko, who assumed senior status on January 6, 2020.[9]
Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown (D) and Rob Portman (R) expressed support for Calabrese's nomination.[9]
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Calabrese well qualified for the position.[10] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas (2019-2020)
- See also: Judges appointed by Mike DeWine
Calabrese was a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio from 2019 to 2020. He was appointed to the court by Governor Mike DeWine (R) in June 2019 to replace Judge Pamela A. Barker, who was elevated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.[9] Calabrese left office in 2020 after being confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Early life and education
Calabrese was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1971. He earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from the College of the Holy Cross in 1993, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2000. Calabrese was also a Fulbright Scholar at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.[11]
Professional career
- 2020-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- 2019-2020: Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio
- 2014-2019: Partner, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP
- 2003-2014: Squire Sanders LLP
- 2009-2014: Partner
- 2007-2008: Senior associate
- 2003-2006: Associate
- 2000-2001: Law clerk to Judge Alice Batchelder, United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- 1995-1997: Legislative assistant to Sen. Lynn Adelman, Wisconsin State Senate
- 1994: Legislative assistant to Rep. Judy Robson, Wisconsin State Assembly[11]
Associations
- Bipartisan Political Education Project
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Community Legal Services of Cleveland, Inc.
- Federal Bar Association
- John M. Manos Inn of Court
- Justinian Forum
- Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association
- Ohio Innocence Project
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Ohio State Bar Foundation
- The Birchwood School
- The Cleveland Orchestra Advisory Council
- The Club at Key Center
- Trust for Public Land[11]
About the court
| Northern District of Ohio |
|---|
| Sixth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 11 |
| Judges: 10 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Sara Lioi |
| Active judges: John R. Adams, Pamela A. Barker, Bridget Brennan, J. Philip Calabrese, Charles Fleming, Jeffrey J. Helmick, James Knepp, Sara Lioi, Benita Pearson, David A. Ruiz Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is one of 94 United States district courts. The main courthouse is located in Cleveland, Ohio, along with other offices in Toledo, Akron, and Youngstown. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Northern District of Ohio has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Northern District of Ohio consists of all the following counties in the northern part of the state of Ohio.
There are two court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Eastern Division, covering Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Crawford, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.
The Western Division, covering Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot 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.
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Ohio Courts of Common Pleas
- Judicial selection in Ohio
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
- Profile from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas (archived November 2, 2020)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Congress.gov, "PN1660 — J. Philip Calabrese — The Judiciary," accessed December 2, 2020
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Nominations," July 29, 2020
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," September 17, 2020
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, a United States Attorney Nominee, and a United States Marshal Nominee," February 26, 2020
- ↑ Congress.gov, "PN1660 — J. Philip Calabrese — The Judiciary," accessed March 4, 2020
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cleveland.com, "President Donald Trump nominates Cuyahoga County judge for federal bench," February 26, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed July 29, 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees," accessed July 29, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division 2019-2020 |
Succeeded by - |
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| 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 | ||
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio
State courts:
Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims
State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio
