[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 190 (Friday, December 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S7285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Nomination of Serena Raquel Murillo

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm 
Serena Murillo to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of 
California.
  Born in Pomona, CA, Judge Murillo received her B.A. from the 
University of California, San Diego and her J.D. from Loyola Law 
School. After law school, she worked as a post-bar law clerk at 
Shernoff, Bidart, and Echeverria in Claremont, CA. She then worked as 
an associate attorney at McNicholas & McNicholas in Los Angeles, where 
she represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases.
  From 1997 to 2014, Judge Murillo served as a deputy district attorney 
in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. She prosecuted 
various criminal cases, including juvenile matters, felonies, white-
collar crime, and criminal appeals. She tried approximately 68 cases to 
verdict in State court, half of which were jury trials.
  Since 2015, Judge Murillo has been a judge on the Superior Court of 
California in Los Angeles County. From 2018 to 2019, she served by 
appointment of the chief justice of the California Supreme Court as an 
associate justice pro tem on the California Court of Appeal. She has 
presided over approximately 55 jury trials in civil, felony, and 
misdemeanor matters, nearly all of which were criminal trials. She has 
also taught as a lecturer in law at the University of Southern 
California Gould School of Law since 2022.
  The American Bar Association rated Judge Murillo as ``well 
qualified'' to serve on the district court. She has deep ties to the 
Central District of California, and she enjoys the strong support of 
her home State Senators and the California legal community.
  Judge Murillo's litigation background and experience as both an 
advocate 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 Democratic whip.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
scheduled vote begin immediately.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.