[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Adrienne C. Nelson

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote on the 
nomination of Justice Adrienne Nelson, who has been nominated to the 
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
  If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman to serve on the 
District of Oregon. This will be just one in a history of firsts 
Justice Nelson has accomplished.
  Born in Kansas City, MO, Justice Nelson was the first Black 
valedictorian at her Arkansas high school post-integration in 1985. She 
went on to earn her B.A. summa cum laude from the University of 
Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1989 and her J.D. from the University of 
Texas at Austin in 1993.
  Justice Nelson began her legal career at Multnomah Defenders, Inc., a 
public interest law firm in Portland, OR, representing indigent 
defendants charged with State crimes for 3 years. She then joined a 
Portland-area law firm as an associate, where she represented a wide-
range of clients, from individuals to private businesses and labor 
unions, for 5 years. In 2004, she became the coordinator and senior 
attorney for the student legal and mediation services at Portland State 
University. During her time in practice, she tried more than 40 cases, 
including 25 jury trials.
  In 2006, Justice Nelson was appointed to serve as a circuit court 
judge for the Multnomah County Circuit Court. She presided over 
approximately 315 cases over 12 years of service on that court.
  In 2018, Justice Nelson became the first Black justice to serve on 
Oregon's highest court. Since then, she has authored 33 majority 
opinions.
  Senators Wyden and Merkley strongly support Justice Nelson's 
nomination, and the American Bar Association has unanimously rated her 
``well qualified'' to serve on the District of Oregon.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this highly-
qualified nominee.