Senate confirms Lackawanna County Judge Julia Munley as federal judge

Oct. 17—Lackawanna County Judge Julia K. Munley will soon become a federal judge.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Munley, 58, on Tuesday by a vote of 52-45, mostly along party lines.

She will join the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the same court that her father, the late District Judge James M. Munley, served on.

Munley will fill a vacancy created when District Judge Robert Mariani assumed senior status in September.

President Joe Biden nominated Munley to the court in May.

In a statement, Munley, a South Abington Twp. resident, said she's "extremely honored" at the confirmation. She thanked Biden, Pennsylvania's U.S. senators, Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and former Sen. Pat Toomey "for their confidence in me." She called working as a county judge "a true privilege and honor."

"I look forward to the work ahead of me," she said.

"Judge Julia Munley's experience as a judge, a lawyer, and an advocate for workers, seniors, and many more Pennsylvanians leaves no doubt in my mind that she will serve the people of the Middle District with honor and distinction," Casey said in a statement.

Fetterman called Munley "a highly qualified nominee" whose county experience "has prepared her to be a fantastic District Court judge."

Munley's confirmation was the latest in a series of judicial nominations that barely achieved the 51-vote majority necessary. Until lately, district court nominations have generally sailed through with 60 or more votes and sometimes 70 or more. The only Republicans voting for Munley were Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, who voted for Munley in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-California, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, did not vote.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who tracks judicial nominations, said the vote was "a lot closer than she deserved."

"I mean, it was ridiculous. They're just lockstep voting," Tobias said. "She's got a long record, and it's a strong record. And she was forthcoming in the hearing, and she'll be fine. But it's a little disturbing."

Gov. Tom Wolf nominated Munley as a county judge and the state Senate confirmed her in June 2016. She won a full 10-year term without opposition in the November 2017 election. Her father served for 21 years as a county judge before President Bill Clinton nominated him to a federal judgeship in 1998. He died in March 2020 as a senior federal judge.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has the power to nominate a replacement for Munley. The state Senate would have to confirm the nomination. A confirmed nominee would serve until January 2026. An election to fill the seat for a 10-year term would take place in November 2025.

Efforts to determine if Shapiro intends to nominate a replacement were unsuccessful.

Munley is the first confirmed of two local resident judges whom Biden nominated this year to the Middle District court.

The nomination of the other, Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick, a Clarks Summit resident, remains pending on the Senate calendar.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter.