Tammy Baldwin, Ron Johnson both back Biden pick for vacant federal judgeship in Green Bay

Wisconsin U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson this week gave their nods of approval for the nomination of a Green Bay personal injury attorney to fill a longtime vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Both Baldwin, a Madison Democrat, and Johnson, an Oshkosh Republican, late Thursday submitted their "blue slips" to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the nomination Byron Browning Conway, aides to both senators confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Blue slips are used by home-state senators to signal support for a judicial nominee, and a senator can effectively veto a nominee by refusing to return the slip.

President Joe Biden earlier this month formally nominated Conway, an attorney with the Green Bay-based firm Habush, Habush & Rottier, for the post after Baldwin and Johnson recommended Conway and Brown County Circuit Judge Marc Aaron Hammer for consideration last summer.

To be confirmed, Conway will need to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for approval before his nomination faces a full Senate vote, where he'll need the support of a majority of the chamber.

"Byron Conway is a highly qualified candidate with the experience necessary to serve Wisconsin’s Eastern District with fairness and impartiality," Baldwin said in a statement. "I was proud to recommend him to the White House alongside Senator Johnson for this position and look forward to getting this vacancy filled as quickly as we can."

Johnson's office declined to comment on the move.

This week's blue slip submissions from both senators increased the chances of filling the vacancy created by the 2019 retirement of Judge William C. Griesbach that has since been the subject of controversy.

Johnson in February 2022 announced his opposition to Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Pocan's nomination to the federal court post the night before Pocan was due to appear for a confirmation hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee.

Johnson at the time said he had been "hearing concerns from the Green Bay legal community that they needed a judge who is locally based and actively involved in their community," though Pocan signaled he planned to relocate to Green Bay.

The Oshkosh Republican also linked Pocan, the brother of Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, to a previous bail decision given to the suspect in the November 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy. But Pocan was not involved in that case, and Johnson’s office later pointed to another case.

The episode contributed in part to calls to do away with the blue slip process. Still, there is no indication that process will change.

Conway has been with his current firm for 18 years and was previously an associate at the Milwaukee-based firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP from 2002 to 2006.

He graduated from Santa Clara University in 1998 and received his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2002.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baldwin, Johnson both back Biden pick for federal judge in Green Ba