Shabaz candidates

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The Federal Nominating Commission has narrowed the list of potential candidates for U.S. District Court Judge John Shabaz’s seat from 16 to five. The list includes three circuit court judges, a U.S. attorney and a solo practitioner.

Those candidates include Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Michael Brennan, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Mac Davis, Eau Claire County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Stark, U.S. Attorney Erik Peterson and Stephen Meyer of the Meyer Law Office in Madison.

The commission recommended those candidates to U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold and U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. Those federal legislators are expected to review the group and present their recommendations to President George W. Bush.

Shabaz announced last October that he plans to seek senior status.

Shabaz’s Western District of Wisconsin seat is one of two federal judgeships that need to be filled in the state. The other position is U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Randa’s seat in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Earlier this month, Sensenbrenner forwarded the names of six candidates for Randa’s seat without Kohl and Feingold. The candidates for Randa’s seat included Brennan and Davis along with Milwaukee County Judges Timothy G. Dugan and Maxine Aldridge White, Racine County Judge Gerald P. Ptacek and Assistant U.S. Attorney James L. Santelle.

The Federal Nominating Commission has been making recommendations to Wisconsin’s United States Senators since 1979 and was charged with recommending four to six candidates for the position.