[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 184 (Tuesday, November 7, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5388-S5389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Julia E. Kobick

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak in 
support of the nomination of Ms. Julia Kobick to the United States 
Court for the District of Massachusetts.
  Today, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on Ms. Kobick's nomination, 
and, soon, we will vote on her confirmation. With a successful vote, 
Ms. Kobick will become the 150th Biden nominee to be confirmed as a 
judge.
  Julia Kobick is a rising star in Massachusetts legal circles. A 
Massachusetts native, she earned her bachelor's degree in government, 
with honors, from Harvard College. She began her career as a public 
schoolteacher to New York City's second and third graders. While 
teaching, she earned a master's in elementary education at Pace 
University. She went on to obtain her law degree, magna cum laude, at 
Harvard Law School.

  Ms. Kobick then clerked at every level of the Federal judiciary--
first, with Judge Dennis Saylor on the District Court of Massachusetts, 
then for Chief Judge Michael Chagares on the Third Circuit Court of 
Appeals, and, finally, for the great Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the 
U.S. Supreme Court.

[[Page S5389]]

  In 2013, following her clerkships, Ms. Kobick joined the 
Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. She worked there until 2021 as 
an assistant attorney general in the constitutional and administrative 
law division. Her practice spanned a range of substantive areas, 
including healthcare, child welfare, administrative law, and 
constitutional issues. Since the summer of 2021, Ms. Kobick has served 
as deputy State solicitor, where she has primarily handled civil and 
criminal appellate litigation.
  Ms. Kobick has received support from a number of groups, including 
from Massachusetts trial and appellate judges, former Massachusetts 
attorneys general, and her clerk colleagues at the U.S. Supreme Court--
clerks who worked for Justices nominated by Presidents of both parties. 
Many of Ms. Kobick's supporters cite her dedication and character, 
alongside her superior skill and judgment. Unsurprisingly, the American 
Bar Association has given her its highest rating of ``well qualified.''
  Perhaps the best evidence of Ms. Kobick's fitness to serve on the 
district court is the enthusiastic support her nomination has received 
from her own opposing counsel. A cadre of attorneys who has litigated 
cases against parties Ms. Kobick represented has praised her 
``meticulous advocacy'' across a variety of legal proceedings.
  From oral arguments before State and Federal trial court judges to 
appellate arguments before the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the 
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the very lawyers who faced off 
against her in court have said that ``her legal abilities and intellect 
are first-rate as shown through the clarity and persuasiveness of her 
written and oral advocacy.'' They have lauded her preparedness and 
performance under pressure, her thoughtfulness as a colleague, and her 
skill in diffusing ``any contentious situation.''
  Over the course of her career, Ms. Kobick has embodied the highest 
standards of the legal profession. True to her roots as a public 
schoolteacher, Ms. Kobick has mentored public interest-oriented law 
students at my alma mater, Boston College Law School, and has served as 
a mentor with The Appellate Project, an organization that matches 
attorneys with law students of color who are interested in appellate 
advocacy.
  Senator Warren and I are proud to have recommended Julie Kobick's 
nomination to President Biden, and we proudly speak in favor of her 
nomination before the full Senate today. She is a dedicated public 
servant of the highest caliber, and she will bring a rare level of 
legal talent to the bench. Her unquestionable integrity, her impeccable 
reputation, and her depth in both humility and skill make her uniquely 
suited for service as a Federal district court judge.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote yes on cloture and then on 
confirmation. This will be a judge all of you will be proud you have 
voted for.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.