Butler County Judge Marilyn Horan will again be nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, according to Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators, who both applauded the announcement Thursday evening.

In a joint news release Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey said President Donald Trump intends to nominate Horan, Judge Susan Baxter and Judge Chad Kenney to serve on the federal bench in Pittsburgh — a move Toomey said he was pleased with because Baxter would finally be able to fill Erie's vacant judicial seat.

Casey called the seats that would be filled by the nominees “critically important” and said they have been vacant for “far too long.”

“Judges Horan and Kenney are highly experienced legal professionals,” Casey said, “and I am confident that they will continue to serve as District Judges with the fairness and honor these positions require.”

Both senators said they support all three judges' nominations.

Horan's nomination by Trump would be the second time she has emerged as a candidate for a spot on the federal bench in Pittsburgh. In 2015 she and Baxter were both nominated by President Barack Obama to fill vacancies on the court, which has 10 judgeships and four vacant seats.

However, Republican leaders in the Senate refused to debate the nominees' confirmations or take a vote and the matter languished on the floor of the chamber for months despite prodding from Casey and Toomey. Now the judges must be re-nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate.