[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2359-S2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Melissa R. DuBose

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
Judge Melissa DuBose to the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Rhode Island.
  Born in Providence, RI, Judge DuBose received her B.A. from 
Providence College and served as a teacher in Rhode Island for 11 
years. While teaching high school, she earned her law degree by 
attending night classes at Roger Williams School of Law. Judge DuBose 
began her legal career as a special assistant attorney general in the 
Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, where she was responsible 
for prosecuting adults charged with child abuse, felonies committed by 
juveniles, and violations of probation. She then joined Schneider 
Electric as a senior legal counsel, assisting and providing legal 
counsel in litigation involving federal government-related disputes.
  In 2019, then-Governor Gina Raimondo appointed Judge DuBose to serve 
as an associate judge on the Rhode Island District Court, where she has 
presided over approximately 250 to 300 bench trials that have gone to 
verdict or judgment. The American Bar Association rated Judge DuBose as 
``qualified'' to serve on the district court, and she has the strong 
support of her home State Senators, Mr. Reed and Mr. Whitehouse.
  Judge DuBose's deep ties to the Rhode Island legal community, 
combined with her significant courtroom experience, will make her an 
excellent addition to the Federal bench.
  I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Markey). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, we are about to vote on final passage 
to confirm President Biden's nominee to the U.S. District Court of 
Rhode Island, Melissa DuBose, and I would like to say a few words about 
her.
  My senior Senator, Jack Reed, will be following me shortly, and I 
want to begin by saying what a pleasure and successful effort it has 
been to work with Senator Reed together to make recommendations to 
several Presidents that have produced excellent district court judges 
in the District Court for the District of Rhode Island, a really 
terrific senior judge on the First Circuit, and a sitting judge on the 
First Circuit Court of Appeals. I think our nominees have proven 
themselves very well in the field after the nominations came and they 
were sworn in and joined the bench.
  Melissa DuBose, I am confident, will join that roster of very 
successful Reed-Whitehouse recommendations. She has a few 
characteristics that I would like to mention.
  One, she worked as a prosecutor in the Rhode Island Department of 
Attorney General, where I used to work and where I used to actually 
work as attorney general for a bit. She did very busy, active service 
there on the criminal prosecution side and was very well regarded by 
her peers. She spent nearly 10 years as a corporate in-house counsel at 
a Fortune 500 company, Schneider Electric, and learned the law from 
that side. Then she served on the Rhode Island district court, which is 
a very fast paced, busy court where your judgment is constantly called 
on. She has shown herself to be a very patient and well-regarded judge, 
having presided over maybe 250 or 300 cases that have either gone to 
trial or verdict.
  She is a graduate of Rhode Island's own Providence College. She was a 
history teacher in Providence schools for 11 years before she embarked 
on her legal career. She was educated at the Roger Williams University 
School of Law, which not only graduated her but thought so highly of 
her that they invited her back to sit on the board of the law school. I 
don't know how many of my colleagues here who are lawyers have been 
invited to sit on the board of their law school, but the law school 
thought highly enough of Judge DuBose that they asked her to do that.
  I would add that perhaps the most prestigious board in the State of 
Rhode Island is the board of the Rhode Island Foundation, a huge 
charitable organization devoted to the well-being and welfare of the 
Rhode Island community, and Rhode Island's community leaders invited 
her to be on the board of that as well.
  This is a person, a lifelong Rhode Islander, who is exceedingly well 
regarded in our community.
  I will close before I yield to Senator Reed by pointing out that the 
members of the district court could not be more excited about having 
her join the Rhode Island U.S. District Court.

[[Page S2360]]

  We, as a matter of practice, very often check in with the judges to 
make sure they concur in the recommendations that we are going to make 
to a President about who is going to join them on the bench, so that if 
there are any problems that we are not aware of, we have a chance to do 
due diligence. In this case, judges on the court were affirmatively 
reaching out to Judge DuBose, saying: Please make sure you apply to 
Senator Reed and Senator Whitehouse. We really want you on the court.
  This is a very special woman, a very accomplished lawyer, an 
experienced and proven judge, and I look forward to a strong bipartisan 
vote for her.
  And with that, let me yield to my senior partner in this business of 
making excellent recommendations to Presidents for judges.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Thank you very much, Senator Whitehouse.
  Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of Melissa R. DuBose to 
be a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
  Let me thank my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for advancing 
her nomination on a bipartisan vote last week. I would like to 
particularly thank Senator Whitehouse for his leadership, not just 
here, but so many times on the Judiciary Committee and in the Senate.
  Like Senator Whitehouse, I look forward, in a few minutes, to her 
confirmation as a district judge. Judge DuBose served with distinction 
at the State level as an associate judge in the Rhode Island district 
court. She has proven to be an exceptional jurist with a sterling track 
record. As a judge, she is known for ensuring proceedings in her 
courtroom are fair and efficient. She is someone who not only knows the 
law but understands that her task as a judge is to seek justice.
  She will fill the seat being vacated by Judge William E. Smith, who 
will be taking senior status. Judge Smith is a model of professionalism 
and integrity. He, along with Rhode Island's other current sitting 
judges on the Federal district court, as Senator Whitehouse noted, are 
enthusiastic about the nomination of Judge DuBose.
  Indeed, they wrote:

       Melissa is an outstanding choice to join the federal 
     bench--she is supremely qualified, her ethics are impeccable, 
     and her temperament is judicious.

  That is high praise indeed from a diverse and exceptional group of 
judges. I share their confidence in Judge DuBose.
  She will continue Rhode Island's long and proud tradition of 
outstanding district court judges, and she will make history in her own 
right, becoming the first woman of color and the first openly LGBTQ 
person to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode 
Island.
  Judge DuBose was born and raised in Providence, not far from where 
the U.S. district court is located. She earned both her undergraduate 
degree and teaching certificate from Providence College. Providence 
College is a remarkable school. The Dominicans run a tight ship, and 
they ensure that their students are particularly well prepared.
  She worked for 11 years, as Senator Whitehouse said, as a 
schoolteacher in the Providence Public School system, shaping and 
inspiring young minds. I can't think of better preparation for 
presiding over a court than running a classroom in a city like 
Providence or any other big city. So she has skills that are necessary 
for being a judge, both temperamentally and intellectually.
  Her desire to make her community safer, to give back, to give the 
young people whom she taught a better chance, inspired her to study 
law. So, while teaching full time, she attended Roger Williams 
University School of Law at night and got her J.D. Upon graduation, she 
worked for the State of Rhode Island, in the attorney general's office. 
She started in the juvenile division and rose through the ranks and 
took on new assignments, including criminal arraignments and violation 
hearings.
  After serving in the public sector for several years, she worked as a 
corporate counsel for Schneider Electric, a Fortune Global 500 company, 
covering compliance, ethics, and trade.
  This is a remarkable woman who taught in a city school, who served in 
the State attorney general's office, and then went to an international 
company to deal with issues that are much different than you find in a 
district court or a school. So her capacity, her breadth of knowledge 
and experience, and her whole life prepared her so well for this 
judgeship.
  In 2019, then-Governor Gina Raimondo, now our Commerce Secretary, 
elevated her to the Rhode Island district court. And she demonstrated 
fairness and impartiality and a sense of fairness in court.
  Having served as an attorney and a judge, in the attorney general's 
office and in the private sector, she has handled both criminal and 
civil cases in Rhode Island's courts and trade cases that span 
continents. She is more than ready for elevation to the Federal bench.
  Now, her resume is impressive, and she has received support all 
across the board, from judges in Rhode Island, from public defenders, 
from prosecutors, and from State and local law enforcement officials. 
Like her peers, I am confident that Judge DuBose will serve on the 
district court with integrity and distinction. She has dedicated her 
life to public service, and Rhode Island is fortunate that she has once 
again answered the call to serve.
  I urge my colleagues to confirm this exceptionally qualified nominee 
to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
  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.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Maryland.