Robert Wier

Eastern District of Kentucky
	Sixth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 6
	Judges: 5
	Vacancies: 1
Judges
	Chief: David Bunning
	Active judges: Claria Horn Boom, David Bunning, Karen Caldwell, Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, Robert Wier; Senior judges:; William Bertelsman, Joseph Hood, Danny Reeves

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Robert Earl Wier
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Progress
	Confirmed 306 days after nomination.
	Nominated: August 3, 2017
	ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: November 15, 2017
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: December 7, 2017
	Confirmed: June 5, 2018
	Vote: 95-0

Robert E. Wier is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on August 3, 2017, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 5, 2018, by a vote of 95-0.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

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

Wier was a federal magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He was appointed to this position on September 1, 2006, and was reappointed in 2014.^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (2018-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Wier on June 5, 2018, on a vote of 95-0.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Robert Wier confirmation vote (June 5, 2018)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	43	0	4
Republican	50	0	1
Independent	2	0	0
Total	95	0	5

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Wier had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on November 15, 2017. The committee voted to advance Wier's nomination to the full Senate on December 7, 2017.^[1]

Nomination

Wier was nominated to replace Judge Amul Thapar, who left the court in 2017 to after he was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit by President Donald Trump.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Wier well qualified for the position.^[4] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (2006-2018)

Wier served as a federal magistrate judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He was first appointed to this position on September 1, 2006, and was reappointed in 2014.^[3]

Education

Judge Wier received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky in 1989 and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1992.^[2]

Professional career

2018-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
2006-2018: Federal magistrate judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
1996-2006: Partner, Ransdell and Wier PLLC
1993-1996: Associate, Stoll, Keenon & Park LLP
1992: Law clerk, Hon. Eugene Siler, United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit^[3]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Lexington, Ashland, Covington, Frankfort, London and Pikeville, Kentucky. 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 Eastern District of Kentucky has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are six court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Ashland Division, covering Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Morgan, and Rowan counties.

The Covington Division, covering Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Mason, Pendleton, and Robertson counties.

The Frankfort Division, covering Anderson, Carroll, Franklin, Henry, Owen, Shelby, and Trimble counties.

The Lexington Division, covering Bath, Bourbon, Boyle, Breathitt, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Menifee, Mercer, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Scott, Wolfe, and Woodford counties.

The London Division, covering Bell, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Leslie, McCreary, Owsley, Perry, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Wayne, and Whitley counties.

The Pikeville Division, covering Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike counties.

The court is based in Lexington and also holds sessions in federal courthouses in Ashland, Covington, Frankfort, London, and Pikeville. The court also meets in Richmond and Jackson. In addition, at one time the court also met in Catlettsburg, however the court left Catlettsburg when the Carl D. Perkins Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Ashland was completed. 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.

External links

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Footnotes

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