[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6478-S6479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          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

[[Page S6479]]

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:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 364 Ex.]

                                YEAS--52

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Lujan
     Manchin
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Sinema
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--44

     Barrasso
     Blackburn
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Hagerty
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Moran
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Romney
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shelby
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Tuberville
     Wicker
     Young

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Braun
     Murkowski
     Rounds
     Schatz
  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.

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