Camela Theeler

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Camela Theeler
	Court: United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
Progress
	Confirmed 98 days after nomination.
	Nominated: February 8, 2024
	ABA Rating: Well qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: March 6, 2024
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: April 11, 2024
	Confirmed: May 16, 2024
	Vote: 90-4

Camela Theeler is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. On February 8, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Camela Theeler to the court.^[1]^[2] She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 16, 2024, by a vote of 90-4. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the District of South Dakota is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Theeler is a judge for the Second Judicial Circuit of the South Dakota Unified Judicial System.^[2]^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On February 8, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Theeler to the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.^[2] She was confirmed on May 16, 2024, by a vote of 90-4.^[1] Theeler received commission on June 4, 2024.^[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Theeler by a vote of 90-4 on May 16, 2024.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Camela Theeler confirmation vote (May 16, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	2
Republican	42	4	3
Independent	2	0	1
Total	90^[5]	4	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Theeler's nomination on March 6, 2024. Theeler was reported to the full Senate on April 11, 2024, after a 20-1 committee vote.^[6]

Nomination

On February 8, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Camela Theeler to the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota.

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Theeler well qualified.^[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Theeler was nominated to replace Judge Jeffrey Viken who assumed senior status on October 1, 2021.^[4]

About the court

The District of South Dakota has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The jurisdiction of the District of South Dakota consists of all the counties in the state of South Dakota. The counties are split into four different divisions known as the Northern Division, the Southern Division, the Central Division, and the Western Division.

The court is based in Sioux Falls (Southern Division), with other courthouses in Rapid City (Western Division), Pierre (Central Division), and Aberdeen (Northern Division).

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.