U.S. Courthouse for the Southern District of Georgia, Savannah U.S. Courthouse for the Southern District of Georgia, Savannah (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

The U.S. Senate approved on a voice vote Tuesday the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Stan Baker of St. Simons Island to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

Trump nominated Baker to the position nearly a year ago, in September 2017. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination in January by a 17-4 vote.

Georgia's Republican senators applauded the vote and the choice by President Donald Trump.

“Judge Stan Baker is a great and talented Georgian who is well-qualified for this position,” Sen. Johnny Isakson said in a news release. “His work as a litigator and his service on the bench have provided him with a deep grasp of legal procedure, and his record of distinguished service to our state gives me confidence that he will continue to serve us well.”

Baker, at his Senate hearing in December, “confirmed what people in South Georgia already knew: He will bring to this role the same open-mindedness and fairness in his decision-making on the bench that he has delivered throughout his career,” Isakson said.

Sen. David Perdue said Baker has “an exceptional legal background.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to serve his state and country with integrity,” Perdue said, applauding Trump “for selecting such an impressive Georgian to fill this seat on the federal bench.”

Baker has served as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Southern District of Georgia since Feb. 3, 2015. Before that, he practiced from 2009 to 2015 with The Jordan Firm in St. Simons Island and with Prior, Daniel, & Wiltshire in Athens from 2006 to 2009. Baker litigated a range of civil, commercial, and criminal matters in state and federal courts, the senators said in their joint news release.

Baker also clerked for Judge William T. Moore Jr. in the Southern District of Georgia and before that earned his undergraduate degree from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Baker, also quoted in the senators' release, said: “I am so deeply honored and grateful. Serving the people of the Southern District has been and will continue to be the greatest honor of my professional life. At a time like this, I can't help but reflect upon the countless people that have believed in me and supported me throughout my life. This moment is as much of a product of their kindness, grace, and sacrifice as any talent I may possess or effort I may have expended.”