Rockefeller, Manchin ask for Groh confirmation
WASHINGTON, D.C. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin (both D-W.Va.) today urged colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly in confirming Judge Gina Marie Groh to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia.
The bench has been vacant since the passing of Judge W. Craig Broadwater, in 2006. Consequently, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia has been without a federal judge for the past five years.
“Judge Groh is extraordinarily qualified to serve on the federal bench,” Rockefeller said. “I’ve come to know her as a supremely talented attorney, a meticulous student of the law and a proven leader in her community and her nomination is deeply personal to me. I am thrilled that President Obama chose Judge Groh to fill the huge void left upon the passing of my dear friend Craig Broadwater.”
“Judge Groh is a well-respected and recognized member of her community in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, as I have known for many years. As West Virginia’s Governor, I had the privilege of appointing Judge Groh to her current position as Circuit Court Judge in the 23rd Judicial Circuit in 2006,” Senator Manchin said. “I believe that Judge Groh’s experience, intellect, leadership, impartiality, and deep roots in the community make her a prudent choice for the vacancy in the Northern District of West Virginia. If appointed, she will be the first resident of the Eastern Panhandle to sit as a U.S. District Court Judge in Martinsburg. Her extensive legal experience and dedication to public service demonstrate that she exemplifies not only the qualities of a talented jurist, but also the high moral character and sense of justice necessary to make a great judge.”
Groh’s nomination is before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Since Judge Broadwater’s untimely death, the other judges in the district have stepped up and shown tremendous effort to handle the caseload, but after such a long vacancy, it is time for this position to be filled.
“I know Judge Groh is up to the task. She is unrelenting in her commitment and dedication to upholding the principles of fairness and justice that are the foundation of our judicial system,” Rockefeller said. “I was honored to recommend her nomination to President Obama, and I know the citizens of the Northern District will be proud to have Judge Gina Marie Groh serve on the federal bench.”
Groh is a graduate and McMurran scholar at Shepherd College and received her Juris Doctor from West Virginia University College of Law.