WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that the Senate voted to confirm U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Black to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. U.S. District Court judges are nominated by the President of the United States and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Magistrate Black’s nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January. Brown released the following statement after the vote:

“Judge Black’s service extends beyond the judges’ chamber and into neighborhoods and the community in which he lives and works. His wealth of experience and commitment to serving others has uniquely prepared him for this position and I am proud that he was confirmed today by the full Senate.

“Tim Black will bring experience, fairness, and integrity to the bench of the Southern District of Ohio. Throughout this rigorous and thorough process, he received widespread support from a cross-section of Ohio. I’m confident that Judge Black will exercise diligence and impartiality as federal district judge.”

Judge Black was selected as a magistrate by the Southern District Court in 2004.  In that position, he has overseen a range of federal judicial proceedings, including jury trials, bail hearings, preliminary examinations, and search warrants.  Prior to his selection as a magistrate, Judge Black spent ten years on the Hamilton County Municipal Court and served as a partner at Graydon, Head, and Ritchey in Cincinnati. The Southern District has court locations in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton and serves more than 5 million citizens in 48 Ohio counties.

In July 2009, Brown and Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) announced that they would recommend that President Obama nominate U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Black to fill the vacancy left by Judge Sandra Beckwith on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. U.S. District Courts are general trials courts which hear both civil and criminal cases.

The nomination is based on the recommendation of a 17-member judicial advisory commission assembled by Brown and Voinovich. To prevent any potential conflicts of interest, commission members residing in the Northern District of Ohio screened applicants for the Southern District.

###