[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   California Judicial Confirmations

  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of the great State 
of California to celebrate several newly confirmed U.S. district court 
judges.
  I am proud to say that just 3 months after I celebrated a 
confirmation of four highly qualified Federal judges for the State of 
California, three more have now been confirmed. Today, I hope to share 
a bit more about each of their stories, the breadth of experience, and 
their history of dedicated public service.
  Early last month, I was proud to see Judge Wesley Hsu confirmed to 
serve on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of 
California. Judge Hsu's path to the Federal bench is a story of hard 
work, remarkable intelligence, and truly a case study in the American 
dream.
  His father fled communist China, traveling 70 miles to the coast with 
his mother and developmentally disabled brother as a child. Both of 
Judge Hsu's parents eventually immigrated to the United States to 
attend graduate school at Kansas State University before moving to 
California where Judge Hsu grew up.
  After earning his undergraduate degree and his JD from Yale, he 
worked as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Central 
District of California, the same court on which he now serves as a 
judge. He later served for over a decade and a half as an assistant 
U.S. attorney for the Central District in the Criminal Division. And 
from 2017 until just recently, Judge Hsu served as a judge on the Los 
Angeles County Superior Court, presiding over the Family Law and 
Criminal Divisions.
  I have no doubt that Judge Hsu's strong qualifications and deep 
experience in the Central District will make him an exemplary district 
court judge.
  That was early last month.
  Just yesterday, we confirmed Judge Hernan Vera, another devoted 
jurist slated to serve on the District Court for the Central District 
of California. The son of Argentine immigrants, Judge Vera earned his 
undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his JD from the UCLA 
School of Law. And since then, he has had a diverse legal career from 
corporate law to serving 12 years at Public Counsel, our Nation's 
largest pro bono law firm.
  As director and then CEO of the Consumer Law Project, Judge Vera 
worked tirelessly on behalf of consumers, on behalf of veterans, the 
elderly, and the working poor. In 2020, Judge Vera was appointed to the 
California Superior Court for Los Angeles County where he adjudicated 
child dependency cases. In every respect, Judge Vera stands out in 
California's legal community. His diverse legal and professional 
experience makes him a welcome addition to the Central District's 
bench.
  And, finally, earlier this afternoon, just a couple of hours ago, we 
confirmed Casey Pitts to serve on the U.S. District Court for the 
Northern District of California.
  Born in Minnesota and raised in Fargo, ND, Pitts attended Yale 
University and, later, Yale School of Law. After law school, he came 
out west, and he served as a law clerk on the Ninth Circuit Court of 
Appeals for Judge Stephen Reinhardt before joining the public interest 
firm Altshuler Berzon, where he has been ever since.
  He has represented workers, consumers, and public interest groups, 
fighting to protect lives and livelihoods of Americans and helping to 
shape how and for whom our economy and our courts work.
  Casey will be the only LGBTQ article III judge currently serving on 
the District Court for the Northern District of California. His life 
experience, his credentials, and his record of fighting for the 
American people will no doubt make him a phenomenal jurist. And I am 
proud to see him confirmed, as well.

  Mr. President, for the past 2\1/2\ years, Senate Democrats have 
worked closely with President Biden to nominate and confirm a record 
number of Federal judges. I have made it a personal priority to try to 
fulfill the expectations of Americans all over the country who deserve 
a trusted, highly qualified, and, yes, diverse Federal judiciary. With 
these three confirmations, we are proving that our judiciary benefits 
when people from diverse backgrounds are on the Federal bench. Whether 
the child of immigrants who sought a better life in the United Sates or 
an LGBTQ kid from Fargo, ND, whether an assistant U.S. attorney or a 
lawyer defending consumers and veterans, all these backgrounds should 
be represented in our judiciary.
  We can't say this often enough: Our Nation is beautifully diverse, 
and we are a stronger Nation because of it. And so it should be for our 
Federal judiciary. So I thank you, colleagues, for confirming these 
three nominations, and I am so grateful to each and every one of them 
for their public service on behalf of our Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

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