[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2131-S2132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Madam President, now on nominations, later today, the Senate will 
vote on the confirmation of Julie Rikelman to serve as circuit court 
judge for the First Circuit.
  For years, Ms. Rikelman has had a hand in some of the most important 
legal fights over women's rights and civil liberties. She was the 
attorney who defended the Mississippi clinic in the Dobbs case that 
ultimately overturned Roe.

[[Page S2132]]

  Few lawyers have fought harder, smarter, and more effectively to 
protect women's rights in America than Ms. Rikelman. On the bench, I am 
confident she will serve with excellence to uphold the Constitution.
  Appointments to the circuit court are essential. The lion's share of 
all Federal cases are decided at the circuit court level, so it is 
necessary these vacancies are swiftly filled with exceptional nominees 
like Ms. Rikelman.
  This week, the Senate will also advance the nomination of Natasha 
Merle to be a district judge in the Eastern District of New York. With 
Ms. Merle's confirmation, the Senate will reach a major milestone: 100 
district judges confirmed by Senate Democrats under President Biden.
  Many of these 100 judges have knocked down longstanding barriers to 
the halls of justice: the first Muslim district judge, the first women 
of color to be district judges in Maryland and Oregon, the first openly 
LGBTQ judge in Puerto Rico. The list could go on and on.
  District judges are an important reason why our Federal judiciary is 
far more balanced, far more diverse, and far more experienced than the 
one we just had a few years ago. So hitting this milestone of 100 
district judges is very significant. Senate Democrats will continue 
moving forward on more judges in the weeks and months to come.