Alabama’s senior U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby on Thursday released the following statement regarding the Senate confirmation of Judge Liles Burke to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Burke was nominated to the judgeship by President Trump in September 2017.
“I am proud to have voted tonight to confirm Judge Liles Burke to be a District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama,” said Senator Shelby. “He is extremely qualified for this high honor, having served as a judge in Alabama for over a decade. I congratulate Judge Burke on this prestigious achievement and am confident he will serve our nation well.”
Judge Liles Burke currently serves as an Associate Judge in the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. He was named to the court by Governor Bob Riley in 2011 and elected without opposition to a full term on the Court in 2012. Judge Burke has authored the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals in more than 1200 cases. During his years on the bench, he has served as President of the Alabama Appellate Judges Association and has been officer in both the Alabama District Judges Association and the Alabama Juvenile Judges Association.
Prior to serving on the Court of Appeals, Judge Burke was appointed to be a District Judge for Marshall County. Following this appointment, he was elected to a full term on the district court beginning in 2008 without opposition. During his time as a trial judge, he created Marshall County’s first family drug court and started one of the state’s first domestic violence courts.
In addition to his experience in the courtroom, Judge Burke serves as the leader of the Marshall County United Way fund drive, City of Arab Chamber of Commerce, and the Arab Historical Preservation Committee. He is also a Rotarian and alumnus of Leadership Alabama, an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the Alabama Army National Guard, and an assistant organist at First United Methodist Church of Arab.
Following Thursday’s vote, five Alabama judicial nominees, initially nominated by President Trump in 2017, have been confirmed. One 2018 nominee still awaits confirmation, and one awaits a hearing before the Judiciary Committee.
Historic obstruction by Democrats has occurred during this administration’s attempt to confirm judges, the Senator’s Office office. 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.
