Wyoming’s First Lady Confirmed as Federal Judge

Wyoming’s first lady, Nancy Freudenthal, has won confirmation to a seat on the federal bench, making her the state’s first female federal judge.

Freudenthal was confirmed on a vote of 96 to 1, according to the Washington Post blog 44. According to the blog, the vote “marked a return to the Senate's historic acceptance of family members of well-connected politicians winning appointments to the federal bench and posts inside administrations.”

Freudenthal’s husband, Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, had recommended his wife for consideration along with a state judge and another lawyer. Responding last May to criticism about the recommendation, the governor said his wife shouldn't be "penalized for having married me."