[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Lydia Kay Griggsby

  Mr. President, today I rise to speak on the nomination of U.S. Court 
of Federal Claims Judge Lydia Griggsby to be U.S. district judge for 
the District of Maryland. We just invoked cloture, and we will be 
voting on that nomination this afternoon.
  Judge Griggsby was favorably reported by a bipartisan vote of the 
Committee on the Judiciary on June 10. I had recommended Judge 
Griggsby, along with Senator Van Hollen, to President Biden, and I 
strongly support this nomination.
  Judge Griggsby has been nominated to fill the current vacancy created 
when Judge Catherine Blake, appointed by President Clinton in 1995, 
announced her intention to take senior status on April 2. President 
Biden nominated Judge Griggsby to this position on March 30, and the 
Judiciary Committee held her confirmation hearing on May 12.
  Shortly after the November 2020 elections, I worked with Senator Van 
Hollen to establish a judicial selection committee in Maryland. We used 
an open application process with a public advertisement and 
communicated and worked closely with the State, local, and specialty 
bar associations in Maryland.
  In particular, we sought out a highly qualified and diverse 
application pool. Our committee interviewed everyone who submitted an 
application, which involved several dozen interviews. Senator Van 
Hollen and I then personally interviewed several finalists before 
recommending names to the White House.
  The White House Counsel asked Senators to propose talented 
individuals who would bring to these critically important roles a wide 
range of life and professional experiences, including those based on 
their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, 
gender identity, religion, veteran status, and disability.
  I would call my colleagues' attention to a recent Washington Post 
article entitled ``President Biden Has Nominated as Many Minority Women 
to Be Judges in Four Months as Trump Had Confirmed in Four Years.'' 
Having judges with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and 
perspectives makes our Federal bench more diverse and better 
representative of the communities they serve, which builds greater 
public trust in the judiciary.
  Instead of giving a formal introduction to my colleagues of Judge 
Griggsby today, we should really say ``welcome home'' to Judge 
Griggsby. When I first was elected to the Senate, I served on the 
Judiciary Committee, and my staff and I were pleased to work with then-
Chief Counsel Griggsby.
  She was born in Baltimore and went to high school in Baltimore.
  At that time, Judge Griggsby served, when she was here, with Chairman 
Patrick Leahy's Judiciary Committee staff as his expert on privacy and 
information policy.
  Judge Griggsby went on to serve for 7 years as a judge on the U.S. 
Court of Federal Claims, which has national jurisdiction to hear 
complex monetary damages claims against the Federal Government. Judge 
Griggsby was confirmed to her current position by a voice vote of the 
Senate in 2014.

  Judge Griggsby is a lifelong Marylander who was born in Baltimore, a 
graduate of the Park School, and she has been a mentor at the Baltimore 
Leadership School for Young Women. She received her B.A. from the 
University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Georgetown Law School. She 
was an associate at DLA Piper before beginning her government service 
as a trial attorney in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of 
Justice.
  She then became an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of 
Columbia. Judge Griggsby later transitioned to Capitol Hill, serving as 
a counsel on the Senate Select Committee on Ethics before beginning her 
work with Senator Leahy on the Judiciary Committee. I am so pleased 
that Judge Griggsby brings such a wide array of professional experience 
from the first two branches of government as she prepares to assume a 
new role in our third branch of government.
  In particular, I would note that as an assistant U.S. attorney, she 
helped secure a $20 million settlement against Toyota for selling 
vehicles that violated the Clean Air Act. She also held two of 
Washington, DC's largest property managers accountable for failing to 
disclose lead-based paint hazards in the buildings.
  If confirmed by the Senate, I would note that Judge Griggsby would be 
the first Black woman and first woman of color to serve as a Federal 
judge on our bench in Maryland in our State's history, and it is about 
time. The American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal 
Judiciary gave Judge Griggsby its highest rating--unanimously ``well 
qualified''--after evaluating her integrity, professional experience, 
and judicial temperament.
  I was delighted to recommend the nomination of Judge Griggsby to 
President Biden, along with Senator Van Hollen.
  Judicial nominees must meet the highest standards of integrity, 
competency, and temperament. Judge Griggsby will safeguard the rights 
of all, uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and faithfully follow 
the judicial oath to do equal right to the poor and to the rich.
  So I urge my colleagues to vote to confirm Judge Griggsby, who I 
believe will be an outstanding member of the Federal bench. She is 
already a sitting Federal judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 
and I look forward to her continued public service, serving all the 
people of our Nation as a Federal district judge.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered