[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1536-S1537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the last two days, we have spent 
unnecessary floor time overcoming procedural obstacles so that we can 
vote to confirm the five judicial nominations before us today. Every 
single one of the nominees that we will vote on today has bipartisan 
support and will be confirmed by significant margins. Judge Carolyn 
McHugh was nominated last May, while all four nominees to the Eastern 
District of Michigan were nominated last July. All of these nominees 
could and should have been confirmed before we adjourned last year. 
Instead, because Republicans refused to consent to hold these 
nominations in the Senate, and every single one had to be returned to 
the President at the end of last year. They then had to be re-nominated 
and re-processed through Committee this year and were all reported out 
with bipartisan support on January 16, 2014.
  We have not had a vote on a judicial nomination this year that was 
not subjected to a Republican filibuster. I appreciate very much the 
two Republican senators, Senator Collins and Senator Murkowski, who 
have voted each time to end the filibuster of judicial nominees. For 
other Republican senators, however, I have started to notice a pattern 
of voting to end filibusters only if a nominee is from a state with at 
least one Republican home state Senator. Most recently this happened 
earlier this week on the cloture vote for Judge McHugh with nine 
Republicans voting to end the filibuster. It should not require a 
judicial nominee to be from a state with one or more Republican home 
state senators for some senators to do the right thing. Filling 
vacancies so that our Federal judiciary can be fully functioning should 
not be a partisan issue.
  Today, we will finally vote to confirm the following nominees:
  Judge Carolyn McHugh has been nominated to fill a vacancy in the 
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has served since 2005 as a judge on 
the Utah Court of Appeals and as the Presiding Judge of that court 
since 2012. She previously worked in private practice at Parr Brown Gee 
& Loveless as an Associate, 1983-1987, and subsequently as a 
Shareholder, 1987-2005. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the 
University of Utah Law School and at the University of Utah College of 
Social and Behavioral Science. Judge McHugh earned her J.D., Order of 
the Coif, from the University of Utah Law School in 1982. After law 
school, she clerked for Judge Bruce S. Jenkins of the United States 
District Court for the District of Utah. The ABA Standing Committee on 
the Federal Judiciary unanimously rated Judge McHugh ``Well Qualified'' 
to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, its 
highest rating. She has the support of her home state senators, Senator 
Hatch and Senator Lee.
  Matthew Leitman is nominated to fill a judicial emergency vacancy in 
the Eastern District of Michigan. He has worked in private practice for 
almost 20 years, including as senior principal, 2005-present, and 
senior counsel, 2004, at Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone, P.L.C, 
and as Partner, 2000-2004, and Associate, 1994-1999, at Miro, Weiner, & 
Kramer, P.C. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law 
School in 1993. Following his graduation from law school, he served as 
a law clerk to Justice Charles L. Levin of the Michigan Supreme Court. 
The ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously rated 
Mr. Leitman ``Well Qualified'' to serve on the U.S. District Court for 
the Eastern District of Michigan, its highest rating.
  Judith Levy is nominated to fill a judicial emergency vacancy in the 
Eastern District of Michigan. She has served since 2000 as an Assistant 
U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, where she has served 
as the Chief of the Civil Rights Unit since 2010. She has also worked 
as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law 
School, 2005-present, and as a trial attorney for the United States 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1999-2000. She earned her 
J.D., cum laude, from Michigan Law School in 1996. Following her 
graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge Bernard 
Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern of District of 
Michigan, 1996-1999.
  Judge Laurie Michelson is nominated to fill a vacancy in the Eastern 
District of Michigan. She has served since 2011 as a U.S. Magistrate 
Judge in the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to her judicial 
service, she worked in private practice for 18 years at Butzel Long as 
an associate, 1993-2000, and subsequently as a shareholder, 2000-2011. 
She has also served for 3 years as an Adjunct Professor at Oakland 
University, 2003-2006. She earned her J.D. from Northwestern University 
Law School in 1992. Following her graduation from law school, she 
served as a law clerk to Judge Cornelia G. Kennedy of the U.S. Court of 
Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The ABA Standing Committee on the 
Federal Judiciary unanimously rated Mr. Leitman ``Well Qualified'' to 
serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 
its highest rating.
  Judge Linda Parker is nominated to fill a vacancy in the Eastern 
District of Michigan. She has served since 2009 as a circuit court 
judge on the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. Prior to her judicial 
service, she worked as director of the Michigan Department of Civil 
Rights, 2003-2008, as Director of Development at the Detroit Institute 
of Arts, 2000-2003, as Executive Assistant United States Attorney in 
the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan, 1994-
2000, in private practice at Dickinson Wright as associate attorney, 
1989-1992, and partner from (1992-1994), and as a staff attorney to the 
United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1985-1989. She earned 
her J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1983. 
Following graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to 
Judge William S. Thompson of the District of Columbia Superior Court, 
1983-1985.
  All four of the district court nominees have the support of their 
home state senators--Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow. I hope my 
fellow senators will join me today to confirm these nominees so that 
they can begin working on behalf of the American people.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, consideration of judicial nominees is among 
the most important duties of the Senate. I am pleased that four, well-
qualified nominees to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District 
of Michigan will now be before the Senate, and I urge my colleagues to 
confirm them. Each of them has demonstrated a commitment to impartial 
justice and a thorough knowledge of the law. Each was recommended by an 
independent screening committee that Senator Stabenow and I have 
formed. It is broadly based and chaired by one of Michigan's truly 
outstanding lawyers, Eugene Driker.
  Each of the nominees has a distinguished background. Matthew Leitman 
served as a clerk to Justice Charles Levin on the Michigan Supreme 
Court and has extensive experience in private practice, focusing on 
complex commercial litigation, criminal defense, and appellate 
litigation. He has argued before State and Federal trial courts, as 
well as numerous appeals before State and Federal appellate courts, and 
has written a number of influential journal articles on important 
aspects of State and Federal law such as immigration and fraud 
enforcement. He has on many occasions been recognized by his peers as 
one of the most effective and knowledgeable litigators in our State.
  He is also dedicated to public service. He has been a pro bono 
honoree for the Eastern District of Michigan every year since 2008.
  Judith Ellen Levy worked in private practice and as a trial attorney 
for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Detroit. She 
has conducted research and taught classes and seminars at the 
University of Michigan. Since 2000, she has served as an assistant U.S. 
attorney and Civil Rights Unit chief in the U.S. Attorney's Office in 
Detroit. There, she is responsible for investigating and litigating 
civil rights cases on behalf of the United States, including fair 
housing, fair lending,

[[Page S1537]]

disability access, and police misconduct cases, and for handling 
citizen civil rights complaints addressed to the office and conducting 
outreach regarding a variety of office programs.
  Ms. Levy has also received numerous awards for her dedication to 
community service, including several Department of Justice Civil Rights 
Division Certificates of Commendation and an award from the University 
of Michigan Council for Disability Concerns.
  Judge Laurie J. Michelson served as law clerk to the Honorable 
Cornelia G. Kennedy of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit and 
then for nearly 18 years worked in private practice in the areas of 
white-collar criminal defense and media and intellectual property law. 
She was sworn in as a magistrate judge for the Eastern District of 
Michigan in February 2011.
  In private practice and as a magistrate judge, Judge Michelson has 
ably navigated some of the most complex areas of Federal law but has 
never lost sight of the fact that the law has a human impact.
  Judge Linda Vivienne Parker served as the director of the Michigan 
Department of Civil Rights from 2003 to 2008. She also worked in 
private practice and served as the first executive assistant U.S. 
attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan under U.S. attorney Saul 
A. Green from 1994 to 2000. In 2008, she was appointed to the Third 
Judicial Circuit Court in Wayne County. In addition to her criminal 
docket, Judge Parker serves as a judge in the Adult Drug Treatment 
Court.
  Judge Parker has dedicated her legal career to public service and has 
committed a great deal of time to serving and advocating for homeless 
families and teenage mothers. She served as the Chair of New Steps, an 
organization committed to providing services for economically 
disadvantaged new mothers in substance abuse recovery.
  Each of these nominees knows the law and is ready to bear the 
responsibilities of a Federal judge. I urge my colleagues to confirm 
their nominations so they can begin serving the people of the Eastern 
District of Michigan.
  I would yield the floor.

                          ____________________