[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1036-S1037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Melissa Damian

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
U.S. Magistrate Judge Melissa Damian to the U.S. District Court for the 
Southern District of Florida.
  Judge Damian's deep ties to the Southern District of Florida and her 
experience in the courtroom, as a litigator and on the bench, have 
prepared her to serve as a U.S. District Judge.
  A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Miami School 
of Law, Judge Damian clerked for the Hon. Ursula Ungaro on the Southern 
District before working in private practice. From 1999 to 2010, Judge 
Damian

[[Page S1037]]

was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the 
Southern District, serving in the criminal division, civil division, 
and appellate division. In 2010, Judge Damian returned to private 
practice, representing plaintiffs in asbestos and tobacco product 
liability cases and later focusing on litigating complex business and 
commercial matters in State and Federal court, at both the trial and 
appellate levels. Over the course of her legal career, Judge Damian 
tried more than 30 cases to verdict. Since 2022, Judge Damian has 
served as a U.S. magistrate judge on the Southern District. She has 
presided over two trials that went to verdict or final judgment and has 
issued approximately 170 written opinions and substantive orders.
  Judge Damian has the strong support from her home State Senators, Mr. 
Rubio and Mr. Scott. In addition, she was unanimously rated ``well 
qualified'' by the American Bar Association.
  I urge my colleagues to support Judge Damian's nomination.