[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5027-S5028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Jennifer L. Hall

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise today to voice my support for 
Jennifer Hall's nomination to serve as the next U.S. district court 
judge for Delaware.
  Before I describe what makes Jennifer Hall particularly well suited 
for the role, let me just take a moment, if I can, to describe our 
approach to filling court vacancies in the First State.
  For over a decade, my colleague--my wingman, if you will--from 
Delaware, Senator Chris Coons, and I have relied on a collaborative 
process for putting forward U.S. district court recommendations to the 
White House, regardless of who is in the White House. With the help of 
a judicial nominating commission, Senator Coons and I have worked to 
identify some of those qualified individuals in Delaware in order to 
recommend them to the President, regardless of political party. The 
process serves Delaware well, it serves our Nation well, and it has 
yielded yet another extraordinary nominee before us today.
  As I often say, justice delayed is justice denied. Justice delayed is 
justice denied. It is critical that we act swiftly to confirm Jennifer 
Hall to Delaware's U.S. district court. It is one of the busiest if 
not, maybe, the busiest district court in the Nation.
  I also want to take a moment to thank Judge Rich Andrews for his 
service to this court and also to our State and to our Nation. I know 
that when he takes senior status at the end of this year, Jennifer Hall 
will be well prepared to help take on an enormous workload before the 
court.
  I would like to share just a little bit more, if I could, about her 
with our colleagues today. Jennifer grew up in Minnesota and is a proud 
graduate of the University of Minnesota--home of those Golden Gophers--
where she earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. She then made her 
way to Yale, where she met her husband Dave and earned not one but two 
degrees--a master's and a Ph.D. in both molecular physics and 
biochemistry. But apparently three degrees weren't enough, so she 
continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Law School, 
where she graduated magna cum laude and immediately began a successful 
legal career.
  In the years that followed, she had the distinction of clerking for 
two Federal judges appointed by President George W. Bush.
  Jennifer went on to work at Fish & Richardson, a Wilmington, DE, law 
firm, where she focused on patent law and other complex business 
issues.
  After 3 years in private practice, she felt called to serve the 
people of Delaware and of America. She spent the next 8 years at the 
U.S. Attorney's Office in Delaware. Then, in 2019, Jennifer was 
selected to serve as a magistrate judge at the U.S. district court for 
Delaware--the same court to which she has now been nominated to serve 
as a Federal judge.
  The last 4 years have given her some of the best preparation and on-
the-job training that anyone could ask for. Magistrate Judge Hall has 
impressed her colleagues on the bench both with her intellect and her 
work ethic, and she has a deep respect for and knowledge of the law.
  Her background as a scientist, as a legal scholar, and as a 
magistrate judge has prepared her well for this new role. I strongly 
urge my colleagues to vote to confirm Magistrate Judge Jennifer Hall to 
serve as the next U.S. district court judge for Delaware. I am certain 
she is going to be ready to hit the ground ready on day one, especially 
in a district court as busy and as important as Delaware's.
  Before I yield back my time, I am going to be joined here 
momentarily, I believe, by Senator Coons, my colleague from Delaware, 
who serves on the Judiciary Committee and with whom I serve and enjoy 
the opportunity to serve with him for our State. We have, I think, 
probably not the kind of close working relationship when it comes to 
judicial nominations that you find in most other States. We do it as a 
team. We have great help from the folks on the nominating commission 
who help make sure we not only identify excellent candidates but 
actually are able to present them for confirmation to the Senate.
  The Presiding Officer, as my friend, I think you know that I am a 
recovered Governor. I served as Governor of Delaware for 8 years. As 
Governor in Delaware, the Governor gets to nominate people to serve on 
the court of chancery, superior court, family court, supreme court, and 
to submit those names to the legislature for their consideration--to 
the Senate, rather.
  I always looked for three or four qualities, if you will, in the 
people I nominated as Governor to serve on the bench in Delaware. Even 
as State courts, we considered some of the major issues of our country, 
business laws and others. One thing I always looked for in nominees was 
people who are smart, not just book smart but actually wise. I looked 
for people who had a strong work ethic. I looked for

[[Page S5028]]

people who believe in the Golden Rule, treating the folks who come 
before them in their courtroom the way they want to be treated, and 
people who have integrity that just could not ever be questioned. Those 
are just some of the criteria I looked for in my judicial nominees.
  For 8 years, I submitted names to the State senate in Delaware. They 
all went before the executive committee and eventually were considered. 
Every one of those nominees was confirmed, which says a lot about 
Delaware--a lot about Delaware.
  I hope we will take a similar kind of action here today. Jennifer got 
a good vote on cloture, and my hope is that we can replicate that as 
well.
  I will yield back. I don't know if I can reserve time so that when 
Senator Coons arrives, he will have time left as well because I know he 
is trying to get here. But this is, I think, a proud day for Delaware, 
and I know it is for Jennifer and her family.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask that I be permitted to complete my 
comments before we proceed to the next vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination 
of the Honorable Jennifer Hall to be our next district court judge for 
the District of Delaware.
  One of the very busiest dockets in the entire Nation, the District of 
Delaware handles a remarkable amount of complex patent cases and 
cutting-edge commercial litigation. It takes a special judge to serve 
in this court, and Judge Hall's unique background and extensive legal 
experience make her an ideal candidate.
  My colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed, advancing her 
nomination to this floor by a strong bipartisan vote of 16 to 5. Judge 
Hall received support from half of the Republican members of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee, including Ranking Member Graham and Senators 
Grassley, Cornyn, Lee, and Tillis.
  She already knows the District of Delaware very well, serving as a 
magistrate judge since 2019. She has proven herself a legal powerhouse 
and, time and time again, has handled a high volume of the most complex 
cases.
  Her legal experience before assuming the bench is just as impressive: 
8 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Delaware, 
where she was chief of the civil division, leading hundreds of cases on 
behalf of our Federal Government. Prior to that, she practiced law at 
Fish & Richardson, P.C., where she litigated intellectual property and 
complex commercial cases.
  A graduate of Penn Law, she clerked for Judge Kent Jordan on the 
Third Circuit and Judge Sharon Prost on the Federal Circuit. Before 
enrolling at Penn, she earned a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and 
molecular biochemistry at Yale, an education and background that will 
aid her as she decides complex patent and IP law cases.
  You can see why the American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge 
Hall as ``well qualified'' to serve on the District of Delaware bench.
  Mr. President, I know Judge Hall to be a balanced and thoughtful 
jurist, a skilled lawyer, and a compassionate human being--not just a 
great judge but a loving wife to her husband David and a devoted mother 
to their children. Judge Hall's exceptional qualifications, strong 
character, and even temperament will make her an asset to the District 
of Delaware.
  Yesterday, we voted by a margin of 63 to 26 to invoke cloture. I am 
hopeful for an even stronger vote just now. I support her nomination 
without reservation and urge my colleagues to do the same.
  I yield the floor.