[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 175 (Tuesday, October 5, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Nomination of Lauren J. King
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to
support the nomination of Lauren King to serve as judge for the U.S.
District Court of Western Washington. I am pleased to have recommended
her to President Biden.
As a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, Ms. King will be the first
Native American Federal judge from my home State and only the sixth-
ever Native judge in our country's history.
She is extremely well qualified and has an abundance of Tribal court
experience, something that is very important in my State. We are home
to 29 federally recognized Tribes, and it is long overdue that our
Federal court system includes those who have deep understanding and
appreciation of Tribal trust responsibilities and Federal Indian law.
Ms. King has extensive litigation experience and is a recognized
leader in Tribal law. She has been a pro tem appellate judge for the
Northwest Intertribal Court System since 2013. She has also served as a
commissioner on the Washington State Gambling Commission and chairs her
law firm's Native American Law Practice Group.
A graduate from the University of Washington and the University of
Virginia School of Law, she has also taught Federal Indian law at
Seattle University. She has earned the support of the National Congress
of American Indians, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and
other leading Native organizations.
I know she will make an excellent addition to our court in the
Western District of Washington, and I urge my colleagues to support her
nomination.