In this episode, our editors Dan Lipkowitz and Michael Beckwith sat down with Professor John P. Collins, Jr. to discuss the legal and political features of nominating and confirming federal judges. In particular, their discussion analyzed the nomination and confirmation strategies recently used by the Biden administration in comparison with its predecessors. The conversation concluded with a discussion of Supreme Court vacancies and how the nomination and confirmation of a Supreme Court justice differs from other federal judges.

Professor Collins is a Visiting Associate Professor at the George Washington University School of Law. His scholarship focuses on court administration, court reform, and the judiciary. His insights on the judicial nomination process have been featured in Reuters, Bloomberg Law, The New York Law Journal, The National Law Journal, and Law360 and his most recent article “Judging Biden” appears in the SMU Law Review Forum.