Thursday, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, praised the Senate confirmation of Judge Terry F. Moorer of Greenville, Alabama, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama.
Judge Moorer was nominated for the judgeship by President Donald J. Trump (R) in September 2017.
“Judge Terry Moorer is well-suited to be a U.S. district judge in Alabama’s southern district,” said Senator Shelby. “His decade of experience serving as a magistrate judge, along with his devotion to upholding the constitution make him fit to serve in this prestigious role. I congratulate Judge Moorer and am confident that our nation will continue to benefit from his dedication and service.”
In November 2017, Moorer appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the consideration of his nomination. During the hearing, Judge Moorer expressed his opinion that “a judge must be courteous and respectful to parties and attorneys” and “patient, open-minded, tactful, and fair to all parties.”
Moorer added that a “judge should listen carefully to the legal arguments, research the law, and then rule promptly based on the facts and the law.”
Finally Judge Moorer explained that a “judge must decide matters based on the facts and law,” and while “a judge is still a person and cannot be expected to fully divorce themselves from all life experiences, their life experiences should play no role in the decision-making process.”
Judge Terry Moorer currently serves as a Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, a position he assumed in 2007. Prior to assuming his judgeship, Judge Moorer served in various positions: Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Alabama, Command Judge Advocate in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and attorney in the Office of Staff Judge Advocate in Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Judge Moorer has an Associate of Arts degree from the Marion Military Institute, a Bachelors degree from Huntington College, and law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.
Judge Moorer is the first African-American nominee of President Trump to be confirmed to the federal bench. He is also the first African American nominee to the Alabama federal bench named by a Republican President. He is also the first African American judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.
Following the confirmation of Judge Moorer, one Alabama judicial nominee initially nominated by President Trump in 2017, along with one nominee from Alabama selected in 2018, still are waiting for their confirmation by the full Senate.
Shelby’s office said that historic obstruction by Democrats is responsible for delaying this administration’s attempt to confirm judges. The previous six presidents combined faced a total of 24 procedural votes on judicial nominees while President Trump has faced more than 100 during his first two years in office.
Despite the unprecedented obstruction by Senate Democrats, President Trump’s impact on the federal judiciary has already been felt and will continue to be felt for decades to come. As of August 28, 2018, the United States Senate has confirmed 60 Article III judges nominated by Trump, including Neal Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court. Trump has also had 26 judges for the United States Courts of Appeals confirmed, and 33 judges for the United States District Courts. None of Trump’s appointees to the United States Court of International Trade have been yet confirmed.
There are a number of Trump appointees currently awaiting action by the U.S. Senate. Most notably these include Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. Ten Trump appointees for the Courts of Appeals are waiting in the Senate as well as 66 for the District Courts, and 2 for the Court of International Trade.
The confirmation hearings on Judge Kavanaugh begin on Tuesday, September four. Senator Richard Shelby has been very supportive of Kavanaugh; but Alabama’s other Senator, Doug Jones (D), has been noncommittal on whether he will support Judge Kavanaugh or not.
