Charnelle Bjelkengren

Charnelle Marie Bjelkengren (born 1975)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Spokane County Superior Court since 2019. She is a nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.

Charnelle Bjelkengren
Bjelkengren in 2023
Personal details
Born
Charnelle Marie Bjelkengren

1975 (age 47–48)
Great Lakes, Illinois, U.S.
EducationMinnesota State University, Mankato (BA)
Gonzaga University (JD)

Education

Bjelkengren received a Bachelor of Arts from Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University), cum laude, in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2000.[2]

Career

From 2001 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2013, Bjelkengren served as an assistant attorney general in the Washington State Attorney General's office. From 2013 to 2019, she served as an administrative law judge for Washington State's Office of Administrative Hearings. Since 2019, she has served as a judge on the Spokane County Superior Court.[2]

Nomination to district court

On September 2, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Bjelkengren to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on the seat vacated by Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr., who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 16, 2022. Bjelkengren was recommended to Biden by senator Patty Murray.[3] On September 19, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[4] On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. She was renominated on January 23, 2023.[5] On January 25, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6] During her confirmation hearing, Bjelkengren could not answer questions from Senator John Kennedy about the United States Constitution, including the functions of Article II and Article V and the meaning of purposivism.[7][8][9][10][11] Bjelkengren was subsequently sharply criticized by other Senate Republicans, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noting that Bjelkengren had a lack of experience in the federal court system and could only name six cases when asked for her top ten list of the most impactful cases she had ever litigated in court.[12][13] Bjelkengren received a "Qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.[14] On May 11, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[15][16] Her nomination is pending before the United States Senate. If confirmed, Bjelkengren would be the first Black woman to serve as a judge in the state and the first woman of color in the district.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. "President Biden Names Twenty-Sixth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "At Senator Murray's Recommendation, President Biden Nominates Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren to Serve as U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Washington" (Press release). September 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  4. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. September 19, 2022.
  5. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 23, 2023.
  6. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. January 24, 2023.
  7. "Internet shocked at Biden judicial nominee's failure to answer simple question on legal procedure". MSN.
  8. Concepcion, Summer; Thorp V, Frank (26 January 2023). "Sen. Kennedy stumps Biden judicial nominee with basic questions about Constitution". NBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  9. Bolton, Alexander (January 31, 2023). "McConnell mocks Biden judicial nominee for flubbing basic legal questions".
  10. "Republicans Rip Biden Court Pick For Bungling Questions On Constitution". HuffPost. January 31, 2023.
  11. "Biden Judicial Pick Who Failed Spot Quiz Attracts GOP Criticism". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  12. Bolton, Alexander (January 31, 2023). "McConnell mocks Biden judicial nominee for flubbing basic legal questions".
  13. Palmer, Ewan (February 2, 2023). "Mitch McConnell Ripping Biden Nominee Over Basic Legal Flubs Goes Viral". newsweek.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  14. Donovan-Smith, Orion (February 26, 2023). "We the People: As Biden outpaces Trump in getting judicial nominees confirmed, Republicans target Spokane County judge". spokesman.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  15. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 11, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  16. Donovan-Smith, Orion. "Nomination of Spokane County judge advances to Senate floor after Feinstein's return". spokesman.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  17. Pierson, Brendan; Raymond, Nate (September 2, 2022). "Biden taps Montana law prof for 9th Circuit in latest slate of judges". Reuters. Retrieved September 2, 2022.



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