[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8645-8646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. CASEY. I move to the second part of my remarks, which is to talk 
about two of our judicial nominees who will be coming before the Senate 
today. Both of these nominees will be voted on today to be members of 
the United States District Court for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania. I wish to give Senators the benefit of a little 
biographical background on both of them.
  I will begin with Nitza Quinones Alejandro. Judge Quinones is 
recognized by her colleagues as being very well prepared as a judge and 
a conscientious judicial official who exhibits an outstanding judicial 
temperament and fairness.
  Since 1991, Nitza Quinones Alejandro has served as a trial judge for 
the First Judicial District of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas 
in Philadelphia, working on criminal and civil trials with all of the 
diversity, difficulty, and challenge that comes with that. She runs a 
good courtroom, treats lawyers and litigants fairly, and renders 
thoughtful decisions. She was first nominated for judicial appointment 
back in May of 1990 by Gov. Robert P. Casey, my father, when he was 
serving in office in Pennsylvania.
  At the time--not quite then a judge--Judge Quinones became the first 
Latina State court judge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania back in 
the early 1990s.
  Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Quinones served as an 
arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas from 1980 to 
1991. She also worked as a staff attorney with the Department of 
Veterans Affairs and as an attorney-advisor for the Office of Hearings 
and Appeals at the Department of Health and Human Services. She was 
also a staff attorney with Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.
  Judge Quinones is a founding member and has been active within the 
Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania for the past 20 years. She has 
actively recruited students from local law schools and hired numerous 
Hispanic attorneys as full-time law clerks and serves as a mentor to 
countless students and professionals.
  A native of Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Puerto 
Rico School of Business Administration cum laude in 1972 and acquired 
her juris doctor degree from the University of Puerto Rico's School of 
Law in 1975.
  Her commitment to public service and substantial judicial experience 
will make her an outstanding Federal judge. It is also, I should note, 
a remarkable American story that Judge Quinones brings to us today.
  We look forward to the vote today on her confirmation. We appreciate 
the work that has been done to bring her nomination to the floor.
  I have enjoyed working with Senator Toomey on both Judge Quinones' 
nomination as well as the second nomination.
  Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, the second nominee, as well will bring an 
extraordinary record of knowledge, experience, and public service to 
the Federal bench. He is well regarded by lawyers and litigants who 
appear before him, as well as the people of Reading in Berks County, 
PA.
  Since 2007 he has served as the president judge for the Berks County 
Court of Common Pleas, where he has served as a judge since 1998.
  Prior to joining the bench, Judge Schmehl was a partner at Rhoda 
Stoudt & Bradley from 1988 to 1997, where he also worked as an 
associate since 1986.
  He has served as the county solicitor at the Berks County Services 
Center from 1989 to 1997, and he owned his own law firm from 1981 to 
1986. He also served as an assistant district attorney in Berks County, 
as a prosecutor, and as an assistant public defender for the Berks 
County Public Defender's Office--a rare combination, both a public 
defender and a prosecutor.
  He received his bachelor of arts degree from Dickinson College in 
1977 and a juris doctor from the University of Toledo School of Law in 
1980. We look forward to Judge Schmehl's confirmation as well.
  Both of these are individuals about whom we can be very proud, vote 
for, and support with enthusiasm. It always helps when you have two 
judges who are the result of the working together of a Democratic 
Senator and a Republican Senator--in this case, Senator Toomey and 
myself--working together to bring their nominations to this point and 
to get them confirmed on the floor of the Senate.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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