In a recent vote, the Senate agreed to move forward with the nomination of Benjamin J. Cheeks to become a United States District Judge for the Southern District of California. The final count was close, at 49 votes in favor and 47 against. The backing for Mr. Cheeks mainly came from Democrats, who wanted to see him pass through to the next stage of the process. This type of vote, known as a cloture motion, is used when at least 60 senators want to end debate on a subject and move to make a final decision. In this case, though, since the vote ended at 49-47, it shows not all senators voted. This step is important because it gets closer to confirming Mr. Cheeks into the judge's position. Basically, the Senate's Democrats pushed through the debate on whether Mr. Cheeks should get the job, moving him one step closer to sitting on the bench in California.