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Joshua P. Kolar, formerly a magistrate judge on the Indiana Northern District Court, has been confirmed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Senate confirmed Kolar to the appellate court with a 66-25 vote on Tuesday evening, according to Reuters. He is President Joe Biden’s 40th confirmed appellate appointment, and his fourth appointment to the 7th Circuit.
Kolar was nominated last July to fill the vacancy created by the 2022 death of 7th Circuit Judge Michael Kanne.
His nomination advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in September.
“Judge Kolar’s resume prepares him well to serve on the federal bench: A magistrate judge. An accomplished litigator. A Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. A dedicated Public Servant. He will serve honorably,” the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote in a post on X.
Kolar had been a magistrate judge in the Indiana Northern District Court since 2019, when he succeeded now-retired Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry. He has also served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve since 2009, including serving on active duty in Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015.
Prior to taking the bench, Kolar worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana from 2007 to 2018, becoming national security lead in that office in 2015.
He earned his undergraduate degree and his J.D. from Northwestern University.
“In both his service in the U.S. Navy Reserves and on the bench, Judge Kolar has proven to be a highly respected and dedicated public servant,” Sen. Todd Young, Indiana’s senior senator, said in a statement Tuesday. “I am proud to have helped shepherd his nomination through the Senate and look forward to his service.”
Kolar’s confirmation on Tuesday follows last week’s confirmations of state court Judges Cristal Brisco and Gretchen Lund to the Indiana Northern District Court.
The trio of Indiana nominees each appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, but they had to be renominated this month after Senate Republicans in December sent their nominations back to the White House.
In addition to Kolar, Biden’s appointments to the 7th Circuit include Judges Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, John Lee and Doris Pryor, the latter of whom also filled an Indiana vacancy on the federal court.
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