Senate approves Chicago prosecutor for federal judgeship

[Elmore Furth]

In a rare weekend session, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously late Saturday to confirm Chicago federal prosecutor Edmond E. Chang for a vacant judicial seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The vote — which came after a day that also saw the Senate repeal the 17-year "don't ask, don't tell" policy preventing gay troops from serving openly in the military — also will make Chang, 40, the youngest federal trial court judge in the nation.

Chang's confirmation came during the tail end of the Senate's lame-duck session, as senators rushed to clear a large number of federal judicial nominees before the Senate adjourns for the year. From Thursday through Saturday, the Senate confirmed 10 federal judges, the first such confirmations since September.

In April, President Barack Obama nominated Chang to replace Judge Elaine Bucklo, who had taken a form of retirement known as senior status. The nomination came after Chang had applied for the post in 2009 through a merit-screening committee for federal judicial vacancies that had been established by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.




Senate approves Chicago prosecutor for federal judgeship