CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Pamela Barker for a position on the federal bench in Cleveland.
If confirmed, Barker would replace Judge Donald Nugent, who took senior status last year. She was recommended in September by Ohio Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown.
The Senate must confirm Barker, 60, to what is a lifetime appointment.
Barker, a Bay Village Republican, has been on the county bench since 2011. She was appointed by Gov. John Kasich and she won elections in 2012 and 2014.
The White House announced her nomination through a statement released Tuesday morning that also included nominees for other federal judges, U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals across the country.
Barker did not return a request for comment.
She worked mainly as a civil attorney, including a stint as in-house counsel for Progressive Insurance, prior to her appointment to the Common Pleas Court. She also served as a magistrate in Brecksville.
As a judge, Barker garnered excellent marks from the four local bar associations that participate in the local Judge4Yourself.com rating process when she ran for re-election in 2014.
While respected by attorneys, she became a target of former County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty's ire.
McGinty posted information on his website in 2014 that showed Barker had served more than 10 weeks in the Justice Center's arraignment room in the year she faced a Democratic challenger to retain her seat on the bench. Judges who work in that room often get to handle higher-profile cases at first, and with that comes significant media attention and the ability to appoint attorneys for defendants at a time when publicity and support for a campaign are vital.
Barker said at the time that she never solicited time in the arraignment room but did fill in regularly for colleagues at their request. She also said that she didn't know what cases were scheduled before she switched.
Barker was one of three names that a commission put together by both senators put forward after interviewing candidates in August.
Trump, like all presidents before him, has the opportunity to transform the federal courts in Ohio and nationally. Federal judges often work hard to maintain their judicial independence, but the federal courts have been ground zero for partisan issues such as abortion and voting rights.
In Cleveland, federal judges have heard the majority of the local high-profile cases alleging police misconduct. They have also presided over some of the most serious criminal prosecutions, such as most of the cases involving defendants implicated in the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal.
Trump on Tuesday also nominated Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Administrator Sarah Morrison serve on the federal bench in Columbus.