The Senate Judiciary Committee has just approved a pair of federal court picks from Maryland, Judges Ellen Lipton Hollander and James K. Bredar, sending their nominations to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote.

Neither is considered controversial but they could face a considerable wait before gaining needed confirmation. There are at least 23 judicial nominees in line ahead of them.

In April, President Barack Obama nominated Hollander, a veteran Maryland state court judge, and Bredar, a federal magistrate judge, for U.S. District Court judgeships. The Judiciary committee approved their nominations Thursday morning on a voice vote.

Hollander, 61, has been a member of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals since 1994. She would fill the seat that opened up last year when Judge Andre Davis moved to the federal appeals court. Bredar, 53, of Reisterstown, would replace Judge J. Frederick Motz, a Republican nominee and the longest-serving judge on the federal district bench in Maryland, who has taken senior status.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who tracks judicial nominations, said it remains unclear exactly when the Senate would debate and vote on the Maryland nominees.

"It may well go into the fall," he predicted, noting that a number of judicial nominees have already waited several months. The Senate's consideration of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan will likely delay the process even more.