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JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this week, the Senate will continue the important work of confirming President Biden's judicial nominees.
From the moment President Biden entered office, Senate Democrats have worked closely with his administration to identify nominees with impeccable credentials and extensive experience. Together, we have worked to restore balance to our Nation's Federal courts by confirming nominees with diverse professional and demographic backgrounds.
Today, I would like to speak in support of three such nominees: David Estudillo, nominated to the Western District of Washington; Angel Kelley, nominated to the District of Massachusetts; and Veronica Rossman, nominated to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge David Estudillo is a native son of Washington State who has devoted his entire legal career to serving his community. He was born in Sunnyside, WA, where his parents run a small grocery store bearing the family's name. His mom and dad first arrived in the United States in the 1960s as agricultural workers through the Bracero program. Inspired by his family's determination and tenacious work ethic, Judge Estudillo decided to pursue a career in law. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Washington and has since practiced law in the State where he is now nominated to serve.
Since 2015, Judge Estudillo has served as a Grant County Superior judge. When he ran for reelection in 2016, his record as a litigator and a judge earned him broad support within Grant County and throughout the State. He received endorsements from the Grant County Democratic and Republican Parties, as well as all nine State supreme court justices.
Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Estudillo served as a litigator for 16 years. He spent much of that time as an immigration attorney, a role in which he assisted his neighbors with asylum applications and helped explain the complexities of immigration law at a host of community forums.
Over the course of his judicial career, Judge Estudillo has presided over nearly 50 jury and bench trials that have gone to final verdict or judgment. He will be more than prepared to take on the demanding work of the district court from day one. Judge Estudillo has the strong support of his home State Senators, Senators Murray and Cantwell, and received a ``Qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association. He also received a strong, 15-7 bipartisan vote in the Judiciary Committee.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting his nomination to the Western District of Washington.
Today, the Senate will also vote on Judge Angel Kelley's nomination to the Federal District Court of Massachusetts. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Judge Kelley has the credentials, experience, and temperament needed to effectively serve the people of Massachusetts.
Prior to her appointment to the Massachusetts State court in 2009, Judge Kelley was a prolific litigator who devoted her practice to public service. She worked as a Federal prosecutor, an attorney for indigent juvenile defendants, and as a senior litigator for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she helped represent the families of the 87 Port Authority employees who tragically lost their lives on 9/11.
With 13 years of judicial experience, Judge Kelley has handled both civil and criminal cases and presided over more than 100 trials. At every turn, Judge Kelley has demonstrated the qualities we expect from the best of jurists: thoughtfulness, evenhandedness, and impartiality.
Judge Kelley has the strong support of her home State Senators, Senators Warren and Markey, and received a unanimous ``Well Qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association. Like Judge Estudillo, Judge Kelley received a bipartisan 15-7 vote in committee, a testament to her qualifications and commitment to the rule of law.
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting Judge Kelley's nomination.
Finally, the Senate will also consider today the nomination of Veronica Rossman to a Colorado seat on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. With her extensive appellate experience in both private practice and as a Federal public defender, Ms. Rossman will be an outstanding addition to the Tenth Circuit.
She has spent the majority of her career at the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Districts of Colorado and Wyoming, where she has handled and supervised over 100 criminal appellate matters arising out of every judicial district in the Tenth Circuit.
As I have said many times, former public defenders, like Ms. Rossman, offer a crucial perspective that is often underrepresented within our Federal judiciary. And I applaud President Biden and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for supporting her nomination.
In private practice, Ms. Rossman specialized in complex civil litigation, including appellate cases and matters involving antitrust law and intellectual property law. She has received a ``Qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association and earned bipartisan support in the Judiciary Committee.
Ms. Rossman is a seasoned practitioner in Federal courts, and she is well prepared to serve on the Tenth Circuit. I look forward to supporting her nomination, and I encourage my colleagues to join me.
During the first 8 months of the Biden administration, this Senate has made tremendous progress in confirming to the bench individuals who have dedicated their careers to defending the rule of law.
With the three nominees before the Senate today, we can continue building on that progress and bring our Federal judiciary closer to reflecting the full diversity of the American experience.
Vote on Kelley Nomination
Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the rollcall vote scheduled for 5:30 be called now.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Kelley nomination?
Mr. BENNET. I ask for the nays and yeas.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Schatz) is necessarily absent.
Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), and the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds).
The result was announced--yeas 52, nays 44, as follows:
YEAS--52
BaldwinBennetBlumenthalBookerBrownCantwellCardinCarperCaseyCollinsCoonsCortez MastoDuckworthDurbinFeinsteinGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHassanHeinrichHickenlooperHironoKaineKellyKingKlobucharLeahyLujanManchinMarkeyMenendezMerkleyMurphyMurrayOssoffPadillaPetersReedRosenSandersSchumerShaheenSinemaSmithStabenowTesterVan HollenWarnerWarnockWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NAYS--44
BarrassoBlackburnBluntBoozmanBurrCapitoCassidyCornynCottonCramerCrapoCruzDainesErnstFischerHagertyHawleyHoevenHyde-SmithInhofeJohnsonKennedyLankfordLeeLummisMarshallMcConnellMoranPaulPortmanRischRomneyRubioSasseScott (FL)Scott (SC)ShelbySullivanThuneTillisToomeyTubervilleWickerYoung
NOT VOTING--4
BraunMurkowskiRoundsSchatz
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Markey). Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 158
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