[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5435-S5436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Brett H. Ludwig

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is my privilege to recommend the 
Honorable Brett H. Ludwig to be the U.S. district judge for the Eastern 
District of Wisconsin. Judge Ludwig passed the Senate Judiciary 
Committee with bipartisan support. I look forward to the full Senate 
voting to confirm him today.
  Since 2017, Judge Ludwig has served the people of Wisconsin on the 
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for both the Eastern and Western Districts of 
Wisconsin.
  Judge Ludwig was born in rural north central Wisconsin and spent his 
childhood in the city of Colby, the birthplace of the cheese that bears 
its name. His grandparents and great-grandparents were dairy farmers, 
instilling in their children and grandchildren the values of hard work 
and

[[Page S5436]]

dedication that Wisconsin's farm families are known for.
  Brett's father, Duane Ludwig, worked nearly 40 years at a factory 
making corrugated container boxes. His mother, Connie, worked as a 
receptionist, secretary, and medical records clerk. They raised him to 
have a strong work ethic and to appreciate the importance of education.
  Judge Ludwig graduated from Colby High School in 1987. He attended 
the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, graduating with the highest 
honors. He then attended the University of Minnesota Law School on a 
merit-based scholarship. He excelled in his class work, ``grading on'' 
to the Minnesota Law Review. He ultimately graduated magna cum laude, 
was named to the Order of the Coif, and then clerked for the Honorable 
George G. Fagg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
  Following his clerkship, Brett returned to Wisconsin to practice at 
Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, the largest law firm in Wisconsin and one 
of the oldest law firms in the United States. In 2003, Foley & Lardner 
made him a partner, and he spent the next 14 years building a 
successful commercial litigation practice. In addition to trying more 
than a dozen complex, multimillion-dollar cases through judgment, he 
played a crucial role in firm management, chairing the Milwaukee 
office's recruiting and pro bono committees.
  Brett's leadership and contribution to his field extended far beyond 
his firm. He was hired by the Marquette University Law School to serve 
as an adjunct professor teaching insurance law. He served a term on the 
State Bar Board of Governors and was active in the Eastern District of 
Milwaukee Bar Association. He was also active in marshaling the efforts 
of Milwaukee's largest law firms to commit time and lawyers to pro bono 
representations in the district court.
  In 2017, Brett left private practice when he was selected to serve as 
a bankruptcy judge, where he presided over more than 12,500 bankruptcy 
cases, issued more than 20,000 orders, and adjudicated dozens of 
evidentiary hearings and trials--all while earning the respect of 
debtors, creditors, and their lawyers through his strong judicial 
temperament, empathy, and compassion.
  Judge Ludwig has also shown a strong and clear commitment to the rule 
of law. His written decisions reflect that he is a judge who is 
committed to faithfully applying the Bankruptcy Code and rules as they 
are written. He has demonstrated that he is not and will not be an 
activist judge.
  Judge Ludwig lives just outside Milwaukee with his wife, Melissa 
Bleidorn; their children, Madeleine and Ryan; and a black lab, Chloe.
  I would like to thank Senator Baldwin for her support of our 
bipartisan nomination commission that has once again selected an 
excellent jurist.
  I would like to thank the hard-working members of this commission for 
their time and dedication in finding and recommending Judge Brett 
Ludwig, who will serve our Nation and the people of Wisconsin in the 
Eastern District with distinction and honor.
  Judge Ludwig has my full support, and I urge all my colleagues to 
vote yes on his confirmation.
  I yield the floor.