Thomas Kleeh
2018 - Present
6
Thomas Shawn Kleeh is the chief judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on February 15, 2018, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 11, 2018, by a vote of 65-30.[1] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here. He began serving as chief judge in 2022.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia 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.
Kleeh was previously a partner with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC and served as staff counsel for the Judiciary Committee of the West Virginia State Senate.[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (2018-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Kleeh was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia by President Donald Trump (R) on February 15, 2018. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kleeh on October 11, 2018, by a vote of 65-30.[2] He received commission on November 1, 2018.[3] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Thomas Kleeh |
| Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 238 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: February 15, 2018
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: April 25, 2018
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: May 24, 2018
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| Confirmed: October 11, 2018
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| Vote: 65-30
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Kleeh on October 11, 2018, on a vote of 65-30.[4] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Thomas Kleeh confirmation vote (October 11, 2018) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
14 | 29 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican |
50 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 65 | 30 | 5 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Kleeh had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 25, 2018. The committee voted to advance Kleeh's nomination to the full Senate on May 24, 2018.[5]
Nomination
Kleeh was nominated to replace Judge Irene Keeley, who assumed senior status in 2017.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Kleeh well qualified for the position.[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Early life and education
Kleeh was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1974. He received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University in 1996 and his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1999.[1][7]
Professional career
- 2018-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- 2015-2018: Per diem staff attorney, West Virginia State Senate
- 2018: Judiciary Committee, West Virginia State Senate
- 2015-2017: Office of Counsel to the Senate President, West Virginia State Senate
- 2000-2003: Adjunct professor, University of Charleston
- 1999-2018: Private practice, Bridgeport, West Virginia[7]
About the court
United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
| Northern District of West Virginia |
|---|
| Fourth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 3 |
| Judges: 3 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Thomas Kleeh |
| Active judges: John Bailey, Gina Marie Groh, Thomas Kleeh Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in downtown Richmond, Virginia at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse.
The Northern District of West Virginia 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 Northern District of West Virginia consists of all the following counties in the northern part of the state of West Virginia.
- Barbour County
- Berkeley County
- Braxton County
- Brooke County
- Calhoun County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Grant County
- Hampshire County
- Hancock County
- Hardy County
- Harrison County
- Jefferson County
- Lewis County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Mineral County
- Monongalia County
- Morgan County
- Ohio County
- Pendleton County
- Pleasants County
- Pocahontas County
- Preston County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie County
- Taylor County
- Tucker County
- Tyler County
- Upshur County
- Webster County
- Wetzel County
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.
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Eleventh Wave of Judicial Nominees," February 12, 2018
- ↑ Congress.gov "PN1644 — Thomas S. Kleeh — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ Congress.gov "PN1644 — Thomas S. Kleeh — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ Congress.gov "PN1644 — Thomas S. Kleeh — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ Congress.gov "PN1644 — Thomas S. Kleeh — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Kleeh, Thomas Shawn," accessed October 14, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia
State courts:
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia • West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals • West Virginia Circuit Courts • West Virginia Family Courts • West Virginia Magistrate Courts
State resources:
Courts in West Virginia • West Virginia judicial elections • Judicial selection in West Virginia
