Byron Conway

Eastern District of Wisconsin
	Seventh Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 5
	Judges: 5
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Pamela Pepper
	Active judges: Lynn Adelman, Byron Conway, Brett Harry Ludwig, Pamela Pepper, Joseph Stadtmueller; Senior judges:; William Griesbach

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Byron Conway
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Progress
	Confirmed 79 days after nomination.
	Nominated: July 8, 2024
	ABA Rating: Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: July 31, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: September 19, 2024
	Confirmed: September 25, 2024
	Vote: 58-37

Byron Conway is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on July 8, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 25, 2024, by a vote of 58-37.^[1]^[2]^[3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Conway was an attorney for the law firm Habush, Habush & Rottier S.C.^[4]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 8, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Conway to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.^[1] Conway received commission on November 4, 2024.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Conway by a vote of 58-37 on September 25, 2024.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Conway confirmation vote (September 25, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	1
Republican	8	37	4
Independent	4	0	0
Total	58^[5]	37	5

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Conway's nomination on July 31, 2024.^[2] Conway was reported to the full Senate on September 19, 2024, after a 13-8 committee vote.^[6] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee hearing.

Nomination

On July 8, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Byron Conway to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Conway was nominated to replace Judge William Griesbach, who assumed senior status on December 31, 2019.^[7]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Conway Qualified.^[8] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Early life and education

Conway was born in 1976 in Green Bay, WI. He earned a bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University in 1998, a graduate degree from the University of Queensland in 2000, and a law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2002.^[3]

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
2006-2024: Private practice, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2002-2006: Private practice, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

About the court

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is one of 94 United States district courts. It encompasses much of the eastern half of the state and is split between the Green Bay Division and the main courthouse in the Milwaukee Division.^[9]

When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, based in Chicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.

The Eastern District of Wisconsin has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Wisconsin consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of Wisconsin.

There are two court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Green Bay Division, covering Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago counties

The Milwaukee Division, covering Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.