Judiciary Committee greenlights Kiel’s nomination to District Court

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Kiel’s nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey this morning, putting Kiel one step closer to becoming President Joe Biden’s tenth successful federal judicial nominee from New Jersey.

The committee vote was 11-10, with all Democrats supporting Kiel and all Republicans opposing him.

Kiel, who immigrated to the United States from South Korea at a young age, has served as a magistrate judge – a federal judicial role one step below a District Court judge – since 2019. He was previously a partner at the law firm Cole Schotz.

Earlier this year, Kiel was a finalist for a seat on the New Jersey Supreme Court. While that role ended up going to now-Justice Michael Noriega instead, Biden chose Kiel on October 4 to replace District Judge Kevin McNulty, a Barack Obama appointee who assumed senior status at the end of October; Kiel’s nomination had been recommended to the Biden administration by Senator Cory Booker.

“Judge Kiel is a highly qualified jurist who has dedicated his career to justice, fairness, and the law,” Booker said in a statement released today. “His nomination is the full-circle realization of the American Dream: if confirmed, he will serve in the same courthouse where his parents were naturalized as American citizens. I’m confident he will serve New Jersey with integrity and distinction when confirmed by the full Senate.”

Kiel first came before the Judiciary Committee on November 1, where he faced intense questioning from several Republican senators about the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a group he worked with more than a decade ago. Republicans attempted to tie Kiel to more recent statements the fund has made about the Israel-Gaza war, a subject which Kiel said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on.

Those concerns did not resurface today, and Kiel’s nomination was approved without fanfare. (The broader committee meeting was a fraught one, with Republicans accusing Democrats of silencing them, but Kiel was not the subject of their ire.)

Now that he’s been cleared by the committee, Kiel will proceed to the Senate floor, though it’s not yet known when he might come for a confirmation vote. 

Kiel’s fellow District Court nominee Jamel Semper was confirmed by the full Senate yesterday evening on a 54-44 vote, one month after his nomination was approved in committee. One other New Jersey judicial nominee, Third Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Adeel Mangi, remains in waiting.