The dean of UNLV’s Boyd School of Law says the nomination of one of the school’s professors to a seat on the federal bench shows the 18-year-old school is coming of age.
President Barack Obama selected Professor Anne Traum to the Nevada District Court, replacing Judge Robert Jones, who took senior status earlier this year. She has taught at Boyd since 2008 and is currently on leave while on assignment with the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.
“It’s a good sign when judges for the federal bench are coming from the state’s law school,” said Dan Hamilton, dean of Boyd Law School. “It speaks well of the excellence of the school and what it is providing for the community.”
Traum joins a list of 61 judicial nominees awaiting Senate confirmation, including Judge Merrick Garland, named to replace Anotonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. Since the beginning of 2015, the Senate has filled just 17 vacant judgeships.
“One of the consequences of gridlock in Washington is this backlog of federal judicial appointments,” Hamilton said. “With any luck it will move one way or the other come the election, and it goes without saying I hope Professor Traum is confirmed.”
Dan Hamilton, dean of UNLV's Boyd School of Law