POCATELLO — The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Judge David C. Nye of Pocatello as Idaho’s new U.S. District Court Judge on Wednesday.
Nye, 58, was first nominated for the position in 2016 by President Barack Obama, nearly two years after former U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge announced his intent to retire.
At that time, he was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the full Senate never voted on his confirmation because many GOP lawmakers were refusing to consider any judicial nominations during the final months of the Obama administration.
President Donald Trump re-nominated Nye for the U.S. District Court on May 8 and he was again unanimously confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15.
Then on Wednesday afternoon, the full Senate unanimously approved his confirmation to serve on the U.S. federal court for the District of Idaho.
According to a news release from the U.S. Senate, the Pocatello judge is the first of Trump’s U.S. district judge nominees to be confirmed.
Nye, who currently serves as an Idaho 6th District judge in Pocatello, was appointed to the position by Republican Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter in 2007 and elected without opposition in 2014.
Born in San Jose, California, Nye earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University in 1982. Four years later, he earned his juris doctor at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Afterward, he moved to Idaho.
In the past, Nye has worked as an attorney specializing in medical malpractice and insurance in Pocatello. He also oversees a felony drug court program and helps train new Idaho judges.
Nye was not available for comment on Wednesday afternoon. However, Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch both welcomed Nye’s confirmation to the federal bench.
“I am pleased that the U.S. Senate has approved Judge Nye as U.S. District Judge in Idaho,” Risch said in a press release. “Judge Nye is a qualified and experienced jurist who has great respect for the rule of law, and who has rejected judicial activism in his service as a state judge. His confirmation is a true win for Idahoans.”
Crapo, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, thanked his colleagues in the U.S. Senate for Nye’s confirmation.
“I thank my colleagues for expediting Judge Nye’s consideration and confirmation,” Crapo said in a news release. “Judge Nye is a supremely qualified candidate for a U.S. district judge seat, having both a unanimous ‘well qualified’ rating from the ABA (American Bar Association) and receiving approval from the Judiciary Committee without dissent twice in under 12 months.”
Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog described Nye as “the whole package” when it comes to judges, saying he is courteous, intelligent and incredibly knowledgeable about the law.
“He is awesome. He is going to do a great job,” Herzog said. “The only drawback is that we won’t have him in the Bannock County Courthouse anymore.”
http://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/u-s-senate-unanimously-confirms-pocatello-judge-for-federal-bench/article_4306f596-1c00-53d0-86d3-6b6e63de51ed.html
