WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., are accepting applications from persons interested in filling judicial vacancies on the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

“Since 2011, Senator Casey and I have worked to confirm 18 qualified nominees to fill district court vacancies on the federal bench. Only two states — California and New York — have had more district court vacancies filled during this time,” said Toomey. “This coupled with the fact that we have three additional district court nominees awaiting Senate confirmation is a tribute to the bipartisan process Senator Casey and I use to ensure that knowledgeable and ethical candidates become federal judges serving Pennsylvania.”

Casey echoed Toomey’s comments.

“Since Senator Toomey came to the Senate in 2011, we have worked together to submit consensus candidates for Federal District Court seats in Pennsylvania,”said Casey. “I look forward to continuing this important bipartisan work to identify and support mainstream judicial candidates in Pennsylvania with the necessary experience, character and temperament for lifetime appointments to the federal judiciary.”

The senators will employ the following process to fill vacancies on the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania:

•         A judicial nomination advisory panel will be established in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

•         This panel will screen applicants for judicial vacancies and submit the names of qualified applicants to the two U.S. senators.

•         Senators Casey and Toomey will each appoint panel members and one co-chair. The co-chairs will be: Heather Heidelbaugh, Partner, Leech Tishman and Mike Adams, Chief Counsel, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

•         Applicants will be required to complete and submit an application, which is available online on the “U.S. Federal District Court Vacancies” page of Senator Toomey’s website (www.toomey.senate.gov).

Persons interested in being considered should submit their completed application to both: judicial_nominations@casey.senate.gov andjudgeappWDPA@toomey.senate.gov.

The deadline for submitting a completed application is March 18 at 5 p.m.