Which federal judges were confirmed by a one-vote margin?

Jonathan Allen Kobes (51–50), Loren Linn AliKhan (51–50), Andrew Stephen Oldham (50–49), Jennifer Sung (50–49), Nusrat Jahan Choudhury (50–49), Natasha Clarise Merle (50–49), Dale Edwin Ho (50–49), Karoline Mehalchick (50–49), Edward Sunyol Kiel (50–49), Eumi Kim Lee (50–49), Amir Hatem Mahdy Ali (50–49), Anthony Joseph Brindisi (50–49), Emil Joseph Bove III (50–49), Margaret Rose Guzman (49–48), Araceli Martinez-Olguin (49–48), Keli Marie Neary (49–48), Katherine Amber Crytzer (48–47), Andre Bernard Mathis (48–47), Daniel Mack Traynor (48–47), Andrew Bray Davis (47–46), Emory Speer (27–26), William Allen Woods (25–24). The closest overall are Jonathan Allen Kobes (51–50), Loren Linn AliKhan (51–50) and Andrew Stephen Oldham (50–49).

Records & Rankings

The closest Senate confirmation votes for a federal judge

What is the closest Senate confirmation vote for a federal judge?

Jonathan Allen Kobes was confirmed 51–50, the narrowest recorded roll call for a federal judge: 50% of the senators voting supported the nomination.

Every Article III confirmation with a recorded roll call, ranked by the share of that roll call voting to confirm rather than the raw margin, so a narrow tally in a smaller historic Senate does not read as close. Voice votes have no recorded tally and are excluded.

#	Name	Detail	Vote
1	Jonathan Allen Kobes	Eighth Circuit, 2018 · 50% to confirm	51–50
2	Loren Linn AliKhan	District of Columbia, 2023 · 50% to confirm	51–50
3	Andrew Stephen Oldham	Fifth Circuit, 2018 · 51% to confirm	50–49
4	Jennifer Sung	Ninth Circuit, 2021 · 51% to confirm	50–49
5	Nusrat Jahan Choudhury	Eastern District of New York, 2023 · 51% to confirm	50–49
6	Natasha Clarise Merle	Eastern District of New York, 2023 · 51% to confirm	50–49
7	Dale Edwin Ho	Southern District of New York, 2023 · 51% to confirm	50–49
8	Karoline Mehalchick	Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2024 · 51% to confirm	50–49
9	Edward Sunyol Kiel	District of New Jersey, 2024 · 51% to confirm	50–49
10	Eumi Kim Lee	Northern District of California, 2024 · 51% to confirm	50–49
11	Amir Hatem Mahdy Ali	District of Columbia, 2024 · 51% to confirm	50–49
12	Anthony Joseph Brindisi	Northern District of New York, 2024 · 51% to confirm	50–49
13	Emil Joseph Bove III	Third Circuit, 2025 · 51% to confirm	50–49
14	Margaret Rose Guzman	District of Massachusetts, 2023 · 51% to confirm	49–48
15	Araceli Martinez-Olguin	Northern District of California, 2023 · 51% to confirm	49–48
16	Keli Marie Neary	Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2024 · 51% to confirm	49–48
17	Katherine Amber Crytzer	Eastern District of Tennessee, 2020 · 51% to confirm	48–47
18	Andre Bernard Mathis	Sixth Circuit, 2022 · 51% to confirm	48–47
19	Daniel Mack Traynor	Eighth Circuit, 2026 · 51% to confirm	48–47
20	Andrew Bray Davis	Western District of Texas, 2026 · 51% to confirm	47–46
21	Emory Speer	Southern District of Georgia, 1885 · 51% to confirm	27–26
22	William Allen Woods	Seventh Circuit, 1892 · 51% to confirm	25–24
23	Gregory George Katsas	District of Columbia Circuit, 2017 · 51% to confirm	50–48
24	Leonard Steven Grasz	Eighth Circuit, 2017 · 51% to confirm	50–48
25	Brett M. Kavanaugh	Supreme Court, 2018 · 51% to confirm	50–48

Questions

What is the closest Senate confirmation vote for a federal judge?: Jonathan Allen Kobes was confirmed 51–50, the narrowest recorded roll call for a federal judge: 50% of the senators voting supported the nomination.
Which federal judges were confirmed by a one-vote margin?: Jonathan Allen Kobes (51–50), Loren Linn AliKhan (51–50), Andrew Stephen Oldham (50–49), Jennifer Sung (50–49), Nusrat Jahan Choudhury (50–49), Natasha Clarise Merle (50–49), Dale Edwin Ho (50–49), Karoline Mehalchick (50–49), Edward Sunyol Kiel (50–49), Eumi Kim Lee (50–49), Amir Hatem Mahdy Ali (50–49), Anthony Joseph Brindisi (50–49), Emil Joseph Bove III (50–49), Margaret Rose Guzman (49–48), Araceli Martinez-Olguin (49–48), Keli Marie Neary (49–48), Katherine Amber Crytzer (48–47), Andre Bernard Mathis (48–47), Daniel Mack Traynor (48–47), Andrew Bray Davis (47–46), Emory Speer (27–26), William Allen Woods (25–24). The closest overall are Jonathan Allen Kobes (51–50), Loren Linn AliKhan (51–50) and Andrew Stephen Oldham (50–49).
How is this list ranked?: Every Article III confirmation with a recorded roll call, ranked by the share of that roll call voting to confirm rather than the raw margin, so a narrow tally in a smaller historic Senate does not read as close. Voice votes have no recorded tally and are excluded.

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Computed from the FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-09-21. Verify against the primary source before relying.