The Vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed John George Edward Marck of Texas as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas on Wednesday, June 24. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) voted against the Texas federal judge appointment. This move puts him squarely in line with his party.
The Senate confirmed the John Marck federal judge nomination in a 52–45 vote. Every Republican who voted cast a "Yes." Every Democrat who voted cast a "No." Two independents also voted against confirmation.
The nomination, listed as PN930-7, placed Marck on the federal bench in the Southern District of Texas, one of the busiest federal courts in the country.
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Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and Navy captain; he has served in the Senate since 2020 and was reelected in 2022.
Sedition accusations against Kelly stem from a November 2025 video in which he and five other Democratic lawmakers urged active-duty U.S. military and intelligence personnel to refuse illegal orders. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon pushed to cut Kelly's retirement pay under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but were blocked by a federal judge who ruled in February that Pentagon officials unconstitutionally retaliated against the senator.
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