Kevin Zwick
NEPA Correspondent

President Barack Obama’s nomination of Scranton labor attorney Robert Mariani to the federal bench was sent to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

If confirmed, Mariani would replace Middle District Judge James Munley, who took senior status in Jan. 2009 and has since served on a part-time basis.

Sen. Bob Casey praised the selection.

Mariani is “an excellent lawyer, a pillar of the community, and a fine man,” said Casey, as reported by the Times-Tribune in December.

Mariani has spent 34 years as a labor and employment attorney in Scranton.

The Middle District of Pennsylvania is a federal court with jurisdiction over half of the state, including Harrisburg.