Kennedy questions Maldonado in Judiciary

On 3/20/2024, President Joe Biden’s newest nominee to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defended her record as Senate Republicans grilled her on how she had amassed one of the largest case backlogs of any federal trial court judge nationally. Republicans during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing cited data showing that U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado ranked seventh highest nationally among district court judges with civil motions pending without a ruling for over six months. Her 125 motions pending were detailed in a semi-annual report the judiciary produces pursuant to the Civil Justice Reform Act that details the extent to which federal judges have not ruled on long-pending motions in civil cases. Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said that data revealed Maldonado had an “abysmal record” of case backlogs, the worst of any district court judge within 7th Circuit, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

“You really think of all the other district judges in the Seventh Circuit, you’re the one that ought to be promoted based on this record?” he asked.
Maldonado, who if confirmed would be the first Hispanic to sit on the 7th Circuit, told the senators that when she joined the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in August 2022, she was immediately assigned about 300 cases with pending motions.

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Promote first Hispanic on 7th Circuit, abysmal record, worst of any 7th Circuit, Kennedy questions Maldonado