[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 142 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Nomination of Laura M. Provinzino

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote to confirm 
Laura Provinzino to the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Minnesota.
  Born in St. Cloud, MN, Ms. Provinzino received her B.A. from Lewis & 
Clark College, her B.A. from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and 
her J.D. from Yale Law School. After law school, she served as a law 
clerk to Judge Diana E. Murphy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 
Eighth Circuit in Minneapolis.
  Following her clerkship, Ms. Provinzino worked at Robins Kaplan LLP 
as a litigation associate, where her work involved civil litigation and 
criminal defense. Since 2010, she has been an assistant U.S. attorney 
in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. She 
handles all aspects of criminal investigation and prosecution and has 
prosecuted a wide variety of Federal crimes. Ms. Provinzino has served 
as a missing and murdered indigenous persons assistant U.S. attorney 
since 2023, after previously serving as deputy chief of the violent and 
major crimes section, deputy chief of the major crimes section, human 
trafficking coordinator, and Project Safe Childhood coordinator. She 
has tried 16 cases to verdict, all of which were jury trials.
  The American Bar Association unanimously rated Ms. Provinzino as 
``well qualified'' to serve on the district court. She has deep ties to 
the District of Minnesota, and she enjoys the strong support of both of 
her home State senators, Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Smith. Ms. Provinzino's 
nomination has also received support from a range of individuals and 
organizations, including law enforcement officers, former Federal 
prosecutors, and organizations working to combat human trafficking.
  Ms. Provinzino's significant litigation background and extensive 
experience in Federal court ensure that she will be a valuable addition 
to the district court. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
her nomination.