[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 85 (Thursday, May 16, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Camela C. Theeler

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
Judge Camela Theeler to the U.S. District Court for District of South 
Dakota.
  Judge Theeler's deep ties to South Dakota and her experience in the 
courtroom--as a litigator and on the bench--have prepared her to serve 
as a U.S. District Judge. After receiving her B.A. and J.D. from the 
University of South Dakota, Judge Theeler began her legal career in 
private practice before clerking for the judges of the First Judicial 
Circuit of the South Dakota Unified Judicial System. Thereafter, Judge 
Theeler returned to private practice, working on a range of cases, 
including personal injury/worker's compensation, business litigation, 
employment law, and criminal defense work. From 2012 to 2018, Judge 
Theeler served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's 
Office for the District of South Dakota, becoming deputy civil chief in 
2016.
  Over the course of her legal career, Judge Theeler tried eight cases 
to verdict, judgment, or final decision. Since 2018, she has served as 
a circuit court judge for the State of South Dakota, located in the 
Second Judicial District. Judge Theeler has presided over 57 trials 
that have gone to verdict or judgment.
  Judge Theeler has the strong support from her home State Senators, 
Mr. Thune and Mr. Rounds. In addition, she was unanimously rated ``well 
qualified'' by the American Bar Association.
  I urge my colleagues to support Judge Theeler's nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise today, along with Senator Rounds, in 
support of the nomination of a distinguished South Dakotan, Judge 
Camela Theeler, who has been nominated to fill a vacancy at the U.S. 
District Court for the District of South Dakota.
  Judge Theeler is a South Dakota native and graduate of the University 
of South Dakota School of Law. She has been a judge for the South 
Dakota Second Judicial Circuit since 2018.
  Prior to her current role, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney 
in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota from 
2012 to 2018; and before that, she spent time at two South Dakota law 
firms.
  When she is not trying cases, she often welcomes students to the 
courthouse, where she gives tours and conducts mock trials to help 
teach them about the legal system.
  I believe that Judge Theeler's experience and record will make her an 
excellent district judge. And, most importantly, I believe that she has 
the character and impartiality to serve a lifetime appointment on the 
Federal bench.
  I am proud to support her nomination, and I encourage my colleagues 
to confirm her as a judge for the U.S. district court of South Dakota.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Thune today 
in supporting the confirmation of Judge Cammy Theeler.
  Ms. Theeler is a native of my home community, Pierre, SD, and has an 
impressive list of career experiences, spanning from the U.S. 
Attorney's Office to teaching at Dakota Wesleyan University, to her 
work now as a State circuit court judge.
  It is because of her commitment to upholding the law, along with her 
commitment to public service, that she received the South Dakota Young 
Lawyer of the Year award in 2009.
  She will undoubtedly exercise judicial restraint and apply the law as 
written.
  I also want to congratulate Eric Schulte on his Senate confirmation 
yesterday for the U.S. District of South Dakota. He is a well-qualified 
attorney who will serve Americans well as a district judge.
  I encourage my colleagues to join today in supporting Judge Cammy 
Theeler for U.S. district judge for the District of South Dakota.