Anthony J. Brindisi, a former Democratic congressman and judge on the New York State Court of Claims in Utica, will serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.
The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted 50-49 to support Brindisi, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in July. He will replace David Hurd, 87, who is the oldest active district court judge in the United States.
Blandisi became the first former lawmaker to join Congress in more than 20 years, overcoming Republican opposition to his positions on legislation supporting immigration and LGBTQ rights.
He was the subject of various interrogations in which he sought to position himself as a jurist rather than a politician.
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Anthony Brindisi attends a town hall-style meeting at Colgate University on April 8, 2018 in Hamilton, New York. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
“Are you a politician or a judge on the court?” Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked him at a hearing last month.
Brindisi replied, “I'm a judge, a senator.”
Mr. Blandisi, 46, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and served one term. After losing his seat to Republican challenger Claudia Tenney in the 2020 election, he returned to his former Utica-based law firm Brindisi Murad & Brindisi Perlman and became a state court judge starting in 2022. .
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A view of the US Capitol on November 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. Anthony Blandisi served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
President-elect Trump accused Democrats of trying to “overlap the courts” with radical appointees and called on Republicans to “show up and toe the line.”
“No more judges confirmed by Inauguration Day!” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
Anthony Blandisi will replace David Hurd, 87, the nation's oldest active district court judge, who is seen here at the Federal Building in Utica, New York. (Google Maps)
The last time a former congressman joined the court was in 2002, when the Senate confirmed former Republican Bill Martini, now the senior federal district judge in New Jersey.
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Brindisi said the role of a judge is different from traditional legislative work and that he wants parties to feel that he is a “fair and impartial judge,” according to Reuters.
FOX News' Hayley Ciesin, Chris Pandolfo, Jake Gibson, Kelly Fares and Julia Johnson and Reuters contributed to this report.
