[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3836-S3837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Nomination of Dena M. Coggins
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm
Dena Coggins to the U.S. District
[[Page S3837]]
Court for the Eastern District of California.
Born in Sacramento, Judge Coggins received her B.S. from California
State University, Sacramento, and her J.D. from the University of the
Pacific McGeorge School of Law. She then entered private practice,
where she worked on general litigation and family law matters. From
2013 to 2015, she worked as a deputy legal affairs secretary for then-
Governor Jerry Brown. Judge Coggins later served as a supervising
attorney and hearing officer at the California Victim Compensation
Board and as an administrative law judge at the State of California's
Office of Administrative Hearings. As an administrative law judge, she
presided over more than 150 evidentiary hearings or trials that
resulted in proposed or final decisions. Since 2021, Judge Coggins has
served as a judge on the Superior Court of California in Sacramento
County. In that role, she has handled assignments in both the criminal
division and juvenile court. Judge Coggins has presided over
approximately 100 juvenile dependency trials, and she has served as the
presiding judge of the Juvenile Court since 2023.
The American Bar Association rated Judge Coggins as ``well
qualified'' to serve on the Eastern District of California. She has
deep ties to the district, and she enjoys the strong support of her
home State Senators and the California legal community.
Judge Coggins's litigation background and her courtroom experience as
an advocate, administrative law judge, and State court judge ensure
that she will be an asset to the district court. I am proud to support
her nomination, and I ask my colleagues to join me in my support.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from California.