[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 14 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Kirk Edward Sherriff

  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, colleagues, today we will have the 
opportunity to advance the nomination of Kirk Sherriff, President 
Biden's nominee to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern 
District of California. In doing so, we have a chance to confirm a 
well-qualified nominee and public servant to fill a vacancy on one of 
the busiest and most understaffed district courts in the Federal 
judiciary.
  I rise to share a little bit more about what makes him so qualified 
to serve the Eastern District. Mr. Sherriff actually grew up in the 
Sacramento region within the district. He was raised for several 
periods of time by a single mother who worked hard to support her 
family, an experience he says profoundly shaped his appreciation for 
the opportunities made available in the United States of America.
  Mr. Sherriff went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Columbia 
University and his law degree from Harvard Law School.
  He began his legal career working as an associate of White & Case, 
focused on arbitration and civil litigation.
  He also clerked on the New Jersey Supreme Court for Chief Justice 
Deborah Poritz. But before long, he returned to California--he came 
home--to work in the district that would come to define his career.
  Mr. Sherriff joined the civil division of the United States 
Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California. He spent 5 
years litigating forest fire, civil fraud, and tort cases before moving 
on to the criminal division.
  He worked his way up to serve as chief of the Fresno and Bakersfield 
offices of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District where he 
oversaw four Fresno unit chiefs, 20 attorneys, and the prosecution of 
crimes throughout the southern half of the district.
  Now, in the course of his career, Mr. Sherriff has developed a 
reputation in the Fresno legal community for being fair, for being 
sharp, and incredibly hard-working--all characteristics in high demand 
at a court with an extraordinarily heavy caseload.
  But in addition to that, Mr. Sherriff possesses a deep personal 
understanding of the needs of the many racially diverse and 
historically disadvantaged communities throughout the Central Valley. 
Because, for the last two decades, he has been there, serving the 
Eastern District and engaging in community outreach.
  Colleagues, by confirming Mr. Sherriff's nomination, we will be 
confirming a nominee with a wealth of legal experience, with a 
fundamental understanding and respect for human dignity, and with deep 
roots in the community he serves and will continue to serve, and who 
will be filling a vacancy in one of the busiest courts in the country.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in advancing and supporting 
Mr. Sherriff's confirmation.