Raleigh attorney Thomas Farr will get his fourth opportunity to serve in eastern North Carolina’s federal District Court. If confirmed, Farr would fill a vacancy he first was chosen for more than a decade ago.
President Trump, citing “judicial emergencies” on federal courts in North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, renominated Farr along with 20 other candidates to fill court vacancies. All 21 nominees were picked by Trump last year but not confirmed by the full Senate at the end of 2017. Because Senate Democrats refused to give unanimous consent to keep the nominations alive, Trump had to submit the names again.
Six of the nominees would sit on federal appellate courts, and the remaining 15 were picked for U.S. district courts.
Farr was chosen in 2006 and 2007 by President George W. Bush to fill a vacancy for the seat in the state’s Eastern District when U.S. District Court Judge Malcolm Jones Howard announced he would take “senior status,” going into semi-retirement. On both occasions, the Senate did not vote on Farr’s selection, leaving the seat vacant for nearly a dozen years.
Farr’s selection in 2017 marked the third time he was nominated for that seat on the bench.
Despite receiving a “well qualified” rating by the American Bar Association, a host of left-leaning groups have assailed Farr’s record representing the state in redistricting lawsuits and his tenure as a campaign lawyer for former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.
Carolina Journal examined the controversy in December.