[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16142-16143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                           PEPPER NOMINATION

  Mr. JOHNSON of Wisconsin. Madam President, it is my privilege to 
recommend to the Senate the Honorable Pamela Pepper to be a U.S. 
district judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Patty served with 
distinction and is the current chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court 
for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
  Although not native to our State, she has set down deep roots in 
Wisconsin, first serving in the Office of the United States Attorney 
for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, followed by private practice in 
Milwaukee and finally serving 9 years as a bankruptcy court judge.
  Pam was born in the delta of Mississippi in a town called Leland. Her 
parents were both teachers and instilled in her an intellectual 
curiosity which has been apparent throughout her career. She migrated 
north for college and attended Northwestern University in Chicago, 
where she received a degree in theater.
  After helping a friend get through the LSAT review course, she 
realized she might want to explore other careers and ended up taking 
the LSAT herself. She obviously had prepared herself well because she 
performed well on the LSAT and was accepted into the Cornell University 
School of Law.
  After graduation, she clerked with distinction for Judge Frank 
Johnson on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and then moved on to 
become a

[[Page 16143]]

prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.
  She is widely respected within her profession, evidenced by having 
held offices as the president of the Milwaukee Bar Association and the 
chairperson of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin. 
She is an instructor of national stature and speaks frequently on trial 
practice and evidence. She is currently an instructor at the Federal 
Judicial Center.
  I have had the opportunity to speak to practitioners who have 
appeared before her bankruptcy court. They have told me of her patience 
with attorneys, which is a virtue of hers they all value.
  Pam possesses a great sense of humor, which she often uses to put 
litigants at ease. She displays compassion in making tough decisions by 
explaining the rationale for those decisions clearly so her reasoning 
is understood by all. She has shown great dexterity in reacting to 
difficult situations in court with calm reasoning.
  Finally, Pam has been described as a practical judge who promptly 
resolves disputes while faithfully adhering to the rule of law.
  Pam's intellectual curiosity, her demonstrated ability to learn new 
areas of the law and efficiently administer her office, has convinced 
me she will continue to excel in her new role as a Federal district 
court judge. Judge Pepper has my full support, and I urge my colleagues 
to vote yes on her confirmation.
  I conclude my remarks by thanking the hard-working members of our 
bipartisan nomination commission for their dedication and efforts.
  I also thank Senator Baldwin for her continued support of this 
successful nominating process that has once again resulted in the 
selection of a well-qualified jurist, Judge Pamela Pepper, who will 
serve the N and the Wisconsin Eastern District well.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
  Ms. BALDWIN. I rise this afternoon to urge my colleagues to confirm 
Judge Pamela Pepper for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern 
District of Wisconsin. I am delighted to once again join my colleague 
Senator Johnson on the floor to discuss this nomination.
  The people of Wisconsin deserve to have experienced and highly 
qualified judges working for them, and I am proud to have worked with 
my colleague Senator Johnson and our judicial nominating commission to 
put in place this process for filling the critical Federal judicial 
vacancies in our State. I was pleased to join Senator Johnson in May of 
this year to support the confirmation of Jim Peterson, whom the Senate 
confirmed to a seat for a Federal judgeship in the Western District of 
Wisconsin. I am pleased to stand on the floor with my colleague today 
to speak in support of another terrific judicial nominee who will serve 
the people of Wisconsin well.
  Judge Pepper is an outstanding bankruptcy judge, and she will be an 
outstanding U.S. Federal district judge.
  As President Obama noted in making the nomination, ``Judge Pepper has 
a long and distinguished record of service, and . . . will serve on the 
federal court with distinction.''
  Pam Pepper has indeed dedicated her professional career to public 
service. She has a distinguished career as a judge, Federal prosecutor, 
public defender, and attorney in private practice. She has spent that 
career dedicated to serving her clients and the people of the United 
States. I am confident she will continue her outstanding service on the 
bench, and the people of Wisconsin will benefit from having this 
experienced and dedicated public servant as a U.S. district judge.
  As we have heard, she has served as the chief bankruptcy judge in the 
Eastern District of Wisconsin since 2010, having served as a bankruptcy 
judge in that district since 2005. She simultaneously served the people 
of the Southern District of Illinois as a bankruptcy judge during that 
same period. Judge Pepper has contributed significantly to the field of 
bankruptcy law and the continuing education of bankruptcy judges and 
practitioners.
  Prior to her time on the bench, Pamela Pepper worked both as a solo 
practitioner engaged in criminal defense work and as a Federal 
prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Offices in Chicago and then 
Milwaukee.
  Before becoming a bankruptcy judge, Pam Pepper also held numerous 
leadership positions within the legal community, including on the 
boards of the Federal Defenders Service of Wisconsin, the State Bar of 
Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, and the 
Milwaukee Bar Association, just to name a few.
  Senator Johnson and I strongly support Judge Pepper's nomination to 
the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Our 
joint support of a judicial nominee should once again send a strong 
message to the entire Senate that she is the right choice for this 
judgeship.
  I urge my colleagues to confirm judge Pamela Pepper so that she can 
continue her distinguished service to the people of Wisconsin and the 
people of the United States of America.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, what is the parliamentary situation?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in morning business until 2 p.m.
  Mr. LEAHY. I thank the distinguished Presiding Officer.

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