[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 112 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4218-S4219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Nancy L. Maldonado

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, in a few minutes, the Senate is going to 
vote on the confirmation of Judge Nancy Maldonado to serve on the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which the Acting President 
pro tempore and I know very well.

[[Page S4219]]

  Since the beginning of the Biden administration, the Senate has 
confirmed 201 highly qualified, independent, evenhanded judges to the 
Federal bench. They represent the best of our legal system--
demographically and professionally diverse; they respect the rule of 
law; they adhere to precedent; and they answer only to the 
Constitution. We should add another to that list today--Judge 
Maldonado, an accomplished litigator and distinguished jurist, who will 
be a great asset to the Seventh Circuit.
  She graduated from Harvard College and Columbia Law School. She 
clerked for U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo--a retired judge, my 
friend, and an esteemed jurist in the Northern District.
  Following her clerkship, Judge Maldonado spent nearly 20 years at a 
firm specializing in employment, civil rights, and fraud matters. 
Throughout her career, she tried several cases to verdict, judgment, or 
final decision.
  In addition, she was appointed by the Cook County State's Attorney's 
Office to serve as a special assistant, tasked with investigating 
fraud. From 2019 to 2022, she was appointed by the Illinois attorney 
general to serve as a consent decree monitor in two matters and as a 
special assistant AG to investigate consumer fraud. You can draw the 
conclusion from these appointments that she is trusted by her 
colleagues to be professional.
  In 2022, the Senate confirmed Judge Maldonado on a bipartisan vote--
supported by the Acting President pro tempore and myself--to the U.S. 
District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Since her 
confirmation, she has presided over almost 1,000 cases--that is in a 
matter of just 2 years--plus has ruled on thousands of motions and has 
issued approximately 300 substantive decisions.
  Notably, Judge Maldonado has never been reversed by a reviewing court 
in that period of time--nearly 1,000 cases. Despite what her critics 
have to say, her record is one of the best. It shows she carefully 
resolves cases in a way that ensures that litigants feel they have been 
treated fairly.
  Once confirmed, Judge Maldonado will be the first Hispanic judge to 
ever serve on the Seventh Circuit. History will be made.
  Judge Maldonado has my strong support and the support of my other 
home State Senator and good friend, the Acting President pro tempore, 
Senator Tammy Duckworth.
  Judge Maldonado, incidentally, received a unanimous--unanimous--
``well qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association based on 
her integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament. She 
has broad support across the legal community, from law enforcement to 
labor unions representing millions of members.
  I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in confirming this highly 
qualified nominee.