[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 164 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOMINATION OF FLORENCE Y. PAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this week, the Senate will vote on 
Florence Pan's nomination to the District Court for the District of 
Columbia.
  She is highly qualified, with more than a decade of experience on the 
bench. If confirmed, she would be the first Asian-American woman to 
serve on that court.
  She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and 
received her law degree with distinction from Stanford.
  After clerking on the Southern District of New York in the Second 
Circuit, she decided to pursue a legal career in public service. In 
1995, she was selected for the prestigious Bristow fellowship in the 
Office of the Solicitor General. After completing her fellowship, she 
served as attorney in the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division of 
the Justice Department and senior advisor to the Department of the 
Treasury.
  Beginning in 1999, Judge Pan worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for 
the District of Columbia for 10 years. In this role, she litigated 
local and Federal courts at the trial and appellate level.
  In 2009, President Obama nominated her to serve on the DC Superior 
Court. She was confirmed with unanimous support by the Senate.
  Years later, President Obama nominated her to serve on the DC 
district court, and her nomination was reported out of the Republican-
controlled Judiciary Committee by a voice vote. Unfortunately, she 
didn't receive a floor vote in time, though lawmakers on both sides of 
the aisle recognized that she was eminently qualified.
  Since 2009, Judge Pan has presided over more than 650 trials: 
criminal cases, family court cases, civil cases. She was unanimously 
rated ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association. She has the 
strong support of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who submitted a 
statement for the record and described her as an exceptional nominee.
  Last month, she was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 
bipartisan vote of 18 to 4.
  What is more, the historic nature of Judge Pan's nomination will help 
build a Federal bench that reflects full diversity.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting her.

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