Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) on Tuesday praised the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Terry F. Moorer of Greenville to be a U.S. District Judge.

Moorer, who was nominated for the seat by President Donald Trump in September of last year, is the first African American judge ever on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

He is also Trump’s first African American nominee to the federal bench, the first African American nominee to the Alabama federal bench named by a Republican president and the first Republican-appointed African American nominee since Judge C. Darnell Jones (Pennsylvania) in 2008.

“Judge Terry Moorer is well-suited to be a U.S. district judge in Alabama’s southern district,” Shelby said in a statement.

He continued, “His decade of experience serving as a magistrate judge, along with his devotion to upholding the constitution make him fit to serve in this prestigious role. I congratulate Judge Moorer and am confident that our nation will continue to benefit from his dedication and service.”

In November, Moorer appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his hearing. During the process, Moorer explained that a “judge must decide matters based on the facts and law.”

Moorer has served as a magistrate judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama since 2007. Prior to assuming that judgeship, he served in various legal positions, including assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Alabama, Command Judge Advocate in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and attorney in the Office of Staff Judge Advocate in Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Trump has been making history with his judicial nominees in Alabama. Emily Marks – who was confirmed a few weeks ago – is the first female to ever serve as District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama.

Following Moorer’s confirmation, one Alabama judicial nominee initially nominated by President Trump in 2017, along with one nominee from Alabama selected this year, still await confirmation by the full Senate.

Shelby’s office noted that, “Historic obstruction by Democrats has occurred during this administration’s attempt to confirm judges. The previous six presidents combined faced a total of 24 procedural votes on judicial nominees while President Trump has faced more than 100 during his first two years in office.”

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn