[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Brendan Abell Hurson

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
nomination of Brendan Hurson to be a U.S. district court judge for the 
District of Maryland. I urge my Senate colleagues to confirm his 
nomination.
  I joined with Senator Van Hollen to recommend Judge Hurson to 
President Biden. President Biden nominated Judge Hurson for this 
position in March of 2023. Senator Van Hollen and I worked to establish 
a judicial selection committee in Maryland, including an open 
application process. In particular, we sought out a highly qualified 
and diverse application pool. Our committee interviewed several dozen 
applicants. Senator Van Hollen and I then personally interviewed the 
finalists, those who were considered to be the top candidates, before 
making any recommendation to the White House.
  I strongly agree with President Biden's goal to nominate judges with 
excellent legal credentials from diverse backgrounds, from both a 
professional and demographic perspective. Today, we have such an 
example in this excellent nominee for this district court judgeship.
  Judge Brendan Hurson lives in Baltimore and serves as a U.S. 
magistrate judge in Baltimore. He has been nominated to fill a current 
vacancy in the U.S. district court for the District of Maryland after 
the retirement of Judge George Hazel in February of 2023.
  Judge Hurson received his undergraduate degree in 2000 from 
Providence College in Providence, RI, where he majored in public and 
community service studies with a minor in Black studies. After college, 
he served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in California as an advocate 
for poor and marginalized communities in San Francisco's Tenderloin 
neighborhood. In 2005, Judge Hurson graduated Order of the Coif from 
the University of Maryland School of Law.
  After completing a judicial clerkship, in 2007, Judge Hurson joined 
the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Baltimore, where he 
defended individuals charged with felonies and misdemeanor offenses in 
Maryland's Federal court. He was named senior litigation counsel in 
2015.
  In 2017, Judge Hurson joined the Office of the Federal Public 
Defender for the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he represented people 
charged with violating Federal and territorial laws on the islands of 
St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix. In 2008, he returned to the Public 
Defender's Office in Baltimore.
  In February of 2022, Judge Hurson was sworn in as the U.S. magistrate 
judge and sits in Baltimore. As a sitting magistrate judge, he presides 
over both preliminary and criminal proceedings, civil lawsuits by 
consent of the parties, and also coordinates the District of Maryland's 
Social Security appellate docket. Judge Hurson, therefore, brings a 
remarkable experience to this position, having served as a Federal 
public defender for over a decade and a half and now serving as a 
magistrate judge for over a year and a half.
  If confirmed, Judge Hurson will continue to serve in the same Federal 
court where he now sits as U.S. magistrate judge and where he practiced 
as a public defender for many years.
  The Judiciary Committee favorably reported Judge Hurson by a 
bipartisan vote in May of 2023, and the American Bar Association 
Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary awarded Judge Hurson a 
unanimously ``well-qualified'' rating--its highest possible rating.
  I was delighted to recommend the nomination of Judge Hurson to 
President Biden, along with Senator Van Hollen. Judicial nominees must 
meet the highest standards of integrity, competence, and temperament. I 
am confident Judge Hurson will safeguard the rights of all Marylanders, 
uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and faithfully follow the 
judicial oath to ``do equal right to the poor and to the rich.'' Judge 
Hurson will serve the people of Maryland well.
  Let me conclude by saying I know that public service is a family 
affair and sacrifice, and I particularly want to thank Judge Hurson's 
family for agreeing to share him with the people of Maryland in the 
interest of public service.
  I urge my colleagues to vote to confirm his nomination.
  I yield the floor.