[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 21, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     Nomination of Natasha C. Merle

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote to confirm 
Natasha Merle to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of 
New York. She is a highly skilled litigator who has practiced at 
virtually every level of the legal system. Ms. Merle received her 
undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her law 
degree from New York University School of Law. She then completed two 
Federal clerkships, one in the Southern District of New York and 
another in the Eastern District of New York. Following her clerkships, 
Ms. Merle devoted her early career to representing indigent clients, 
particularly as an assistant Federal public defender. She has also 
spent time in private practice, where she represented individuals, 
companies, and financial institutions in commercial litigation.
  Since 2016, Ms. Merle has worked at the NAACP Legal Defense and 
Educational Fund, where she has devoted her practice to ensuring equal 
justice under law. She has also taught at two of the Nation's top law 
schools: Columbia Law School, as a lecturer in law, and New York 
University School of Law, as an adjunct professor of clinical law. Ms. 
Merle has significant experience in the courtroom at both the trial and 
appellate levels. She has litigated in State and Federal court on both 
civil and criminal matters, practiced before the U.S. Supreme Court, 
and successfully argued an appeal before the California Supreme Court. 
Ms. Merle's deep expertise, diversity of experience, and commitment to 
public service will make her an outstanding addition to the Eastern 
District of New York.
  The American Bar Association rated Ms. Merle ``well qualified,'' and 
she has the strong support of her home state Senators, Mr. Schumer and 
Mrs. Gillibrand. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. 
Merle's nomination.