[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Julie Rikelman

  Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination 
of Julie Rikelman to serve as a judge on the United States Court of 
Appeals for the First Circuit.
  Based on a recommendation of a bipartisan advisory committee on 
Massachusetts judicial nominations in Massachusetts, Senator Markey and 
I were pleased to recommend Julie Rikelman to the President for this 
important role on the Federal bench. She received bipartisan support 
from the Senate during her cloture vote last week, and I expect the 
same will be true shortly, when we vote on her confirmation to the 
First Circuit.
  Julie Rikelman is an accomplished lawyer who has significant 
experience in both private practice and public interest and whose 
career demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
  Ms. Rikelman's commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution is 
informed by her personal experience fleeing religious persecution. In 
the late 1970s, she and her family came to the United States from 
Ukraine as Jewish refugees seeking equal opportunity denied to them in 
the former Soviet Union.
  Ms. Rikelman went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law 
School. After law school, she clerked for Justice Dana Fabe on the 
Alaska Supreme Court and then Judge Morton Ira Greenberg on the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
  Following a 2-year stint as a Blackmun fellow at the Center for 
Reproductive Rights, Ms. Rikelman entered private practice--first, as 
an associate at Feldman & Orlansky and then as senior associate at 
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. In 2006, she joined NBC Universal as 
litigation counsel before being promoted to senior litigation counsel 
in 2008 and vice president of litigation in 2011. She has worked on 
issues related to securities, breach of contract, employment 
discrimination, intellectual property, and constitutional law matters.
  In 2011, Ms. Rikelman returned to the Center for Reproductive Rights 
as a senior staff attorney. One year later, she was appointed U.S. 
litigation director, and, in that role, she argued two cases before the 
U.S. Supreme Court.
  Ms. Rikelman's exceptional qualifications are bolstered by the 
support she has received from lawyers in public and private practice, 
from prosecutors, from defenders, from academics, and from former 
judges representing a range of political perspectives.
  Whether appointed by Republicans or Democrats, her supporters ``share 
a strong belief that Ms. Rikelman is a lawyer of uncommon talent and 
ability, broad experience, sound and fair-minded judgment, and 
unquestioned integrity.'' Her former NBC Universal and Simpson Thacher 
Bartlett colleagues describe her as ``thoughtful'' and ``open-minded'' 
and observed that she ``carefully considered every argument without 
prejudgment and without regard to her personal views.''
  There it is--fairminded, experienced, thoughtful, and exceptionally 
talented. These are the qualities a Federal judge should possess, and 
these are the qualities that Julie Rikelman has exhibited throughout 
her career.
  In addition, her personal and professional experiences will bring 
important diversity to our Federal bench and underlie her respect for 
the rule of law.
  Finally, it is important to note, now more than ever, that we have 
judges on the Federal bench who deeply understand reproductive rights 
law, and Ms. Rikelman's experience in this area makes her an 
exceptionally qualified nominee.
  I have every confidence that Julie Rikelman will continue to uphold 
the rule of law and our Constitution as a First Circuit judge.
  I want to thank our bipartisan advisory committee in Massachusetts 
for all of the work they did to identify and recommend candidates like 
Julie Rikelman, and I want to thank President Biden for nominating her 
to this position.
  I urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of Julie Rikelman, a 
supremely qualified candidate who will bring her commitment to 
delivering equal justice under the law to the First Circuit Court of 
Appeals.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.