[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16758]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

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    NOMINATION OF JOSE E. MARTINEZ, OF FLORIDA, TO BE UNITED STATES 
          DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will now go into executive session and proceed to the 
consideration of Executive Calendar No. 961, which the clerk will 
report.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of Jose E. Martinez, of 
Florida, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District 
of Florida.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, the nomination 
is confirmed.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Madam President, I thank the Judiciary Committee for 
recognizing the needs of Florida and favorably reporting the nomination 
of Mr. Jose Martinez.
  Jose Martinez's long and impressive legal career makes him an 
outstanding candidate. Beginning as counsel and now partner at Martinez 
& Gutierrez, Mr. Martinez has been associated with the firm since 1991. 
Jose Martinez has served as Assistant United States Attorney in the 
Southern District of Florida, and Legal Officer for the United States 
Navy, Judge Advocate General Corps. He took a two-year leave from his 
firm to become the Regional Director for the Office for Drug Abuse Law 
Enforcement of the United States Department of Justice.
  Mr. Martinez received his undergraduate and law degrees from the 
University of Miami. He was the President of the highest honorary on 
campus, the Iron Arrow. His involvement with Student Government ranged 
from working in the Student Activities Office to becoming the treasurer 
of the School of Business.
  Currently, Mr. Martinez is the vice chairman of the Federal Court 
Practice Committee of the Florida Bar. He is also a member of the 
American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Cuban 
American Bar Association, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
  In summary, Mr. Martinez is a highly regarded and qualified candidate 
for the federal bench.
  I appreciate the Senate's consideration of Judge Martinez's 
nomination and appreciate the Senate's recent confirmation of Kenneth 
Marra and Timothy Corrigan, who will serve in Florida's Southern and 
Middle Districts, two of the largest and busiest judicial districts in 
the country.

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