Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of New York.
The former Democratic congressman was nominated by President Joe Biden in July for the position to replace David Hurd, who is retiring.
"I have a particular affinity for Utica, and Brindisi is a proud son of Utica. He is also an exceptionally qualified attorney whose legal acumen and deep care for the Mohawk Valley – and all of Central New York – will make him an excellent addition to the Northern District," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in floor remarks Wednesday before the chamber voted.
Brindisi served a single term in the House of Representatives, representing New York’s former 22nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2020. He lost his bid for a second term in 2020 to Republican Claudia Tenney, who he had narrowly defeated two years earlier. He served as a state assemblyman before then.
After leaving Congress, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the state Supreme Court. In 2022, he was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to the New York state Court of Claims. He's also been an acting Supreme Court justice in Oneida County.
Brindisi began practicing law in 2004 after receiving his juris doctorate from Albany Law School.
Also poised to join the the bench is Beth Coombe, a prosecutor who spent her career in Albany and Syracuse. She was the first woman to become a federal criminal chief for the Northern District.
The Northern District court locations include Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse and Utica.