Confirm Barzee-Flores

In February President Obama selected Mary Barzee-Flores as the nominee to fill the vacancy for the Southern District Court of Florida. Barzee-Flores served as a circuit judge on Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami for almost a decade, deciding criminal and civil cases. She graduated cum laude from the University of Miami Law School in 1988 and worked in the Federal Public Defender’s office for 13 years before becoming a judge. Given these qualifications, she would be a wise choice.

However, the seat remains vacant even after the courts declared it a “judicial emergency.” Justice has been held up because Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, hasn’t called a hearing to confirm the president’s nominee.

I hope Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson will put pressure on Grassley to call a hearing to confirm Judge Barzee-Flores.

This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Confirm Barzee-Flores."