The U.S. Senate is scheduled to take a key procedural vote Tuesday on Angela Colmenero’s nomination to become a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas.
The Senate will reconvene for business at 3 p.m. September 22 and resume consideration of Colmenero’s nomination, according to the U.S. Senate Daily Press Gallery.
At 5:30 p.m., senators are scheduled to vote on whether to invoke cloture, a procedural step that would limit further debate and move the nomination toward a final confirmation vote.
President Donald Trump formally nominated Colmenero in May to fill the federal district court seat vacated when Judge Lee H. Rosenthal retired. The White House sent the nomination to the Senate on May 12.
Who Is Angela Colmenero?
Colmenero has spent much of her career in Texas government and currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
She joined Abbott’s office in 2018 and previously served as principal deputy general counsel and deputy general counsel, according to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s office.
Before joining the governor’s office, Colmenero spent nearly a decade in the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where her positions included chief of the General Litigation Division and deputy chief of the Special Litigation Division.
She also served temporarily as Texas’ provisional attorney general in 2023 while Attorney General Ken Paxton was suspended from office during his impeachment proceedings.
Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate in September 2023 and returned to office.
Colmenero Has North Texas Legal Ties
Colmenero is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Earlier in her legal career, she clerked for then-Chief U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish of the Northern District of Texas and practiced law in Dallas before entering state government service.
Her career has since centered heavily on litigation and legal work within Texas government.
Texas Senators Recommended Her
Cornyn and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz recommended Colmenero to Trump following a review by the senators’ Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, a bipartisan panel used to evaluate applicants for federal judicial vacancies in Texas.
Cornyn said in May that he supported the nomination and urged senators to confirm her.
“I am proud to support President Trump’s nomination of Angela Colmenero to serve as a federal judge in Houston,” Cornyn said.
Abbott also publicly endorsed the nomination.
“Angela Colmenero is a brilliant lawyer and will make an exemplary federal judge,” Abbott said in a May 11 statement.
Judiciary Committee Advanced Nomination 11-10
Colmenero appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a nomination hearing on June 10, alongside several other federal judicial nominees.
The committee advanced her nomination on July 16 by an 11-10 vote.
The nomination is listed as Executive Calendar No. 828.
On September 17, Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on Colmenero’s nomination, setting up Tuesday’s procedural vote.
Another Texas Judicial Nominee Confirmed
Colmenero’s vote comes days after the Senate confirmed another Texas federal judicial nominee.
On September 17, senators confirmed Kasdin Miller Mitchell to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas by a 49-45 vote, according to Senate records.
Trump sent Mitchell’s and Colmenero’s nominations to the Senate on the same day, May 12. Both were later advanced by the Judiciary Committee on 11-10 votes.
Mitchell filled a seat vacated by Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn, while Colmenero was nominated for the Southern District seat previously held by Rosenthal.
What Tuesday’s Vote Means
Tuesday’s scheduled vote is not itself the final confirmation vote.
The Senate will first decide whether to invoke cloture on Colmenero’s nomination.
If cloture is invoked, debate will be limited under Senate rules and the nomination can proceed toward a final confirmation vote.
The Senate Press Gallery says additional roll-call votes are possible during Tuesday’s session, but only the 5:30 p.m. cloture vote on Colmenero was firmly scheduled as of Monday.
If ultimately confirmed, Colmenero would serve as a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas. Federal district judges appointed under Article III of the Constitution serve during good behavior, effectively giving them lifetime tenure unless they resign, retire or are removed through impeachment.
Tuesday’s vote will determine whether Colmenero moves another step closer to joining the federal bench.
Provided by Dallas Express
