Former state Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler has been confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee for a second time as President Obama's nominee to the federal bench in Madison.

Butler's nomination was approved on a 12-7 party line vote, the same margin as his confirmation vote in December. The nomination process had to restart because the nomination was sent back to the White House after the Senate failed to confirm him by the end of last year.

In an opening statement at the hearing, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl described Butler's qualities of "intelligence, diligence, humility and integrity."

"We are confident that the people of Madison and all of Wisconsin will be enormously proud of him and that he will serve them well. I urge my colleagues to support his swift confirmation," Kohl, D-Milwaukee, said.