Nominee for US District Court in Alaska clears Senate committee

Joshua Kindred, then an attorney for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, at a conference in 2018. He is now a regional solicitor for the Interior Department and a nominee for the U.S. District Court bench. Photo by Heather Holt.

Anchorage attorney Joshua Kindred is a step closer to becoming a federal District Court judge. 

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Kindred’s nomination Thursday.

Several of the committee’s Democrats, including Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said it’s not right for senators to consider confirming new judges now that the articles of impeachment against the president have moved to the Senate.

Related: Trump’s nominee for US court in Alaska gets low marks from state bar but has youth on his side

“The Senate should not be advancing any judicial nominees at a time when this body is contemplating removing from office the man who nominates them,” Sen. Harris said.

The vote on Kindred fell along party lines. The next step is a vote by the full Senate, but that may have to wait until after senators decide the case against President Trump.

Related: Alaskan zips through confirmation hearing for US District Court seat

Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her atlruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Lizhere.

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