WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tom Kleeh has been confirmed as a District Judge, replacing senior status judge Irene Keeley.
Kleeh, a member of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in the firm’s labor and employment group, is a graduate of West Virginia University College of Law.
“Since President Trump nominated Tom, I have been impressed by the amount of support he has received in all corners of West Virginia’s legal community,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said.
The Senate voted 65-30 to confirm Kleeh, who graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into the Order of the Coif — reserved for those who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.
“His nomination has also been praised by those who have been on the opposite side and practiced against him,” Capito said. “As one West Virginia Circuit Judge wrote, ‘The trial lawyers, the defense bar, the prosecutors, the public defenders, the public interest lawyers? They all love him.’ That widespread respect speaks volumes, I think, about Tom’s professionalism.”
Kleeh succeeds Irene Keely following 25 years on the bench as a District Judge in the District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
“I recommended Tom to President Trump because of his exceptional qualifications and his outstanding reputation. As I’ve said since he was first nominated, I have no doubt that Tom will be a fair, diligent, and effective judge on the U.S. District Court and will make West Virginians proud as he continues working to uphold the rule of law.”
The WVU alumni most recently served as staff counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he was praised by Chairman Charles Trump.
“Tom devoted countless hours — both during and outside of regular and interim sessions — working tirelessly to help us work on the legal reforms that our state so badly needed,” Trump said. “His temperament, judgment, maturity, and legal acumen have allowed Tom to work effectively and amicably with members of both the Republican and Democrat caucuses of the committee and the entire Senate.”
Kleeh’s original nomination to the position was in April.
“I believe that Tom is exceptionally well qualified to serve as a member of the Judiciary,” Capito said. “I wholeheartedly support him. I’ve know him for many years, and I’ve witnessed his intellect, his fairness, and his commitment to the rule of law.”