[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Nomination of Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon to the U.S. District Court for the Central 
District of California.
  Born in Tucson, AZ, Judge Valenzuela earned her B.A. at the 
University of Arizona in 1991 and her J.D. at the University of 
California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1995. After graduating from 
law school, she worked as special assistant to Vice Chair Cruz Reynoso 
on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1995 to 1998.
  Between 1998 and 2000, Judge Valenzuela served as a trial attorney in 
the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department 
of Justice. From 2000 to 2006, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney 
in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
  After that, Judge Valenzuela worked at the Mexican American Legal 
Defense and Educational Fund, first as the western regional counsel in 
2006 and then as the national vice president and director of litigation 
from 2006 to 2011.
  Between 2011 and 2016, Judge Valenzuela served as the Criminal 
Justice Act supervising attorney on the U.S. District Court for the 
Central District of California.
  Since 2016, Judge Valenzuela has served as a judge on the State Bar 
Court of California. She served as the supervising judge of that court 
from 2020 to 2022.
  The American Bar Association rated Judge Valenzuela as ``qualified,'' 
and her nomination is strongly supported by her home State Senators, 
Mr. Padilla and Ms. Butler.
  Judge Valenzuela's substantial litigation background and service on 
the State Bar Court of California have prepared her to serve as a 
district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of 
California. I am proud to support her nomination.