Obama Again Nominates Jeffrey Meyer To Federal Bench After First Nomination Lapsed

President Barack Obama on Monday again nominated law professor and former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Meyer to a federal judgeship in Connecticut.

Meyer, who teaches at Quinnipiac and Yale universities, had first been nominated to a seat on the U.S. District Court a year ago. But his nomination and those of several other prospective federal appointees lapsed when the U.S, Senate adjourned last year without acting to confirm the nominations.

Federal court watchers have complained that confirmations by the U.S. Senate of prospective federal judges such as Meyer have slowed in recent years as presidential nominations fall hostage to political partisanship.

In both cases, Obama nominated Meyer to fill the seat vacated by the death in 2012 of former U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz.

Meyer was one of five finalists for Kravitz's seat chosen by a committee set up by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both Democrats.

Meyer worked for the U.S. Attorney's office in the mid-1990s before becoming a law professor at Quinnipiac. He is also a visiting law professor at the Yale School of Law.

The U.S. District Court in Connecticut has positions for eight judges. There are also five senior, or semi-retired, judges in Connecticut. A judgeship is a $174,000 a year, lifetime appointment.

Meyer is a frequent commentator for the media on legal issues and cases that come before the federal court. His father is state Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford ___

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