US Senate confirms Menendez as federal judge in Minnesota

National News

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kate M. Menendez has been confirmed by the Senate to fill Minnesota’s federal court vacancy, the state’s two senators announced over the weekend.

Menendez was nominated by President Joe Biden in September. She appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in early November to take questions and talk about her five-year stint as a magistrate judge, the Star Tribune reported.

Menendez previously served as a federal public defender for more than 18 years. Her experience includes several adjunct law professor roles, including at the University of Minnesota, Hamline University and St. Thomas University.

Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith said in a joint statement Saturday that Menendez was recommended by the judicial selection committee, comprised of prominent members of Minnesota’s legal community.

“Judge Menendez has dedicated her career to making our state a more just place,” Klobuchar said.

Related listings

  • Supreme Court rejects appeal over press access in Wisconsin

    Supreme Court rejects appeal over press access in Wisconsin

    National News 12/13/2021

    The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a conservative think tank over Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to exclude the group’s writers from press briefings. The justices acted without comment Monday, leaving in place lower court rulings th...

  • Court won’t stop Texas abortion ban, but lets clinics sue

    Court won’t stop Texas abortion ban, but lets clinics sue

    National News 12/10/2021

    The Supreme Court on Friday left in place Texas’ ban on most abortions, offering only a glimmer of daylight for clinics in the state to challenge the nation’s most restrictive abortion law. The decision, little more than a week after the ...

  • Italy frees man convicted of 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher

    Italy frees man convicted of 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher

    National News 11/28/2021

    The only person convicted in the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher was freed Tuesday after serving most of his 16-year prison sentence, his lawyer said. Attorney Fabrizio Ballarini said Rudy Guede’s planned Jan. 4 release had been...

Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban

Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”

The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.

Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.

Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.

Business News

New York Adoption and Family Law Attorneys Our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption agencies. >> read