The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Denver attorney William Martinez to the U.S. District Court in Colorado in a 58-37 vote on Tuesday.
The vote came nearly two years after Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet recommended him to the bench. President Barack Obama nominated Martinez in February and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination in April.
Udall said the confirmation vote was delayed because of obstructionism in the full Senate. He said that of the 100 judicial nominations pending nationally, 46 are considered judicial emergencies.
"If we continue the habit of needlessly delaying judicial confirmations, we risk chasing off qualified nominees like Bill Martinez," Udall said.
Colorado hasn't had a full roster of judges for nearly three years, and Chief Judge Wiley Daniel had warned that the judge shortage was slowing down proceedings.
Judge R. Brooke Jackson, chief judge for the state's 1st Judicial District for Jefferson and Gilpin counties, has been nominated to fill the other remaining vacancy on the court.
Martinez has practiced employment and civil rights law as a partner at McNamara, Roseman, Martinez and Kazmierski. He previously served as regional attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Denver.
Martinez was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with his parents as a child.
