[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S75]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Eleni Maria Roumel

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, for 3 years now, I have been hard at 
work alongside an administration that prioritizes filling vacancies on 
the Federal bench with smart, dedicated, constitutionalist judges. When 
I am at home in Tennessee, that is what people tell me they want to 
see--constitutionalist judges, not activist judges.
  I know that I have sounded like a broken record in my reiterating 
just how important it is to keep these judicial nominations moving 
through the Committee on the Judiciary and moving to the floor, but I 
will tell you this: I think it is a message that needs to be repeated 
day in and day out because the American people and, as I said, 
Tennesseans know that this should be a priority, for this is how we 
continue to protect freedoms from generation to generation.
  Since 2017, we have confirmed over 180 nominees, and even in the face 
of partisan bickering, we have no plans at all to slow that pace. We 
were in the Committee on the Judiciary today, hearing again from the 
nominees whom we will move forward and bring to this floor for 
confirmation. I want to shine light on a court that doesn't get a whole 
lot of attention, but let me tell you that we would be in real trouble 
if we did not have this one.
  I have come to the floor to support President Trump's latest nominee 
to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims--Eleni Maria Roumel.
  I first met Eleni when she joined the nonpartisan Office of General 
Counsel for the House of Representatives. During her 6-year tenure, 
Eleni advised those of us who were members of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee as we faced some challenging and high-profile legal matters 
and as we looked at laws that were going to affect the American people 
and how they lived their lives every single day.
  The Energy and Commerce Committee in the House has wide jurisdiction. 
Of course, energy policy, commerce and trade, healthcare, 
manufacturing, pro sports, privacy, and the internet all come under 
that jurisdiction. So Eleni served us well in providing advice. I 
witnessed her commitment to bipartisanship as she served both sides of 
the aisle with the same quality of representation. She did it all while 
she was pregnant with her son, John, who is now 2 years old, and as 
someone who has been a working mom, I know the challenges that this 
presents.
  From her time as a truly excellent student at Tulane Law, to her work 
in the private sector and beyond, Eleni's professionalism has elevated 
her above the rest of the pack.
  She practiced intellectual property law and earned a promotion to 
partner as she represented both pro bono clients and publicly traded 
Fortune 500 companies.
  She taught and mentored students as an adjunct professor at 
Charleston Law School.
  She solidified her reputation as a lawyer committed to the rule of 
law in her work handling government oversight of Federal agencies. 
These cases were vital to the safeguarding of the separation of powers 
and emphasized the supremacy of the Constitution as what it is--the law 
of the land.
  In her 19-year career, she has appeared before 20 different Federal 
courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and just last year, she was 
elevated to the role of Deputy Counsel to Vice President Mike Pence.
  I am truly honored to have supported Eleni Roumel's nomination to the 
Court of Federal Claims. She will be an excellent role model on the 
bench, especially to young women in the legal profession. I encourage 
my colleagues to take a look at her resume, get to know her, and then 
join me in wholeheartedly supporting her confirmation.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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