[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2354-S2355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Jasmine Hyejung Yoon

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Ms. Jasmine 
Yoon, whom President Biden has nominated to serve as a U.S. district 
court judge for the Western District of Virginia.
  For the last decade and a half, Jasmine has served as an invaluable 
asset to Virginia's legal community, offering both a unique zeal for 
public service and an incredible life story.
  Jasmine came to this Nation at age 14 from South Korea, speaking 
virtually no English. All through eighth

[[Page S2355]]

grade--and I am trying to think of myself in the eighth grade, and I 
cannot imagine going through this--but all through eighth grade, 
literally, at home she read Merriam Webster's dictionary and watched 
American TV. And by the time she entered high school, she spoke English 
fluently.
  Thanks to this hard work, she developed a stellar academic record, 
such that she became a two-time graduate at the University of Virginia 
where she was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship, a 
full 3-year scholarship to the UVA School of Law given for academic and 
extracurricular achievement.
  Shortly before law school, Jasmine became a U.S. citizen. She has 
spoken movingly to me and to Senator Kaine about her memories of that 
ceremony and what citizenship means to her.
  Following law school, Jasmine began her public service career 
clerking for The Honorable James C. Cacheris in the U.S. District Court 
for the Eastern District of Virginia, a distinguished jurist and 
lifelong mentor for Jasmine.
  After completing her clerkship, Jasmine went to work as an assistant 
U.S. attorney in the Eastern District. During her time in that office, 
she prosecuted countless complex cases. Her work was so notable that 
she won the FBI Director's Award, given for outstanding prosecutorial 
skills and service to the FBI.
  Upon the conclusion of her time as a prosecutor, she went back to 
UVA, this time as a lawyer in the university's counsel's office. In 
taking this job, she and her husband chose to move their entire family 
to the Western District of Virginia, where they put down deep roots. As 
counsel to the university, Jasmine impressed everyone she met with her 
calm and measured approach to nuanced and subtle issues.

  Jasmine's community-oriented mindset, her career qualifications, and 
numerous accolades and awards make her an exceptional nominee for the 
Western District of Virginia.
  Her nomination has received countless letters of support, including 
from university leadership, local leaders, and the Asian Pacific 
American Bar Association of Virginia. Jasmine was also voted out of the 
Senate Judiciary Committee with a strong bipartisan vote.
  Once sworn in, Jasmine will be the first Asian-American Federal judge 
in Virginia. I know she will serve with distinction and make our 
country and our Commonwealth proud.
  I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
  With that, I yield the floor.