-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Mia Perez to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Judge Perez is an accomplished State court judge with an impressive record as a litigator. And with her confirmation, this Senate will take another important step forward in building a Federal judiciary that reflects the diversity of America.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Judge Perez received her B.A. from Tufts University before returning to Philadelphia to earn her J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law. She practiced as a criminal defense lawyer for a decade, serving for 4 years as a State public defender and another 6 years in private practice. In that time, she tried approximately 1,000 cases to judgment, during which she largely representing indigent defendants. For the past 6 years, Judge Perez has served as a judge in the criminal trial division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. She has presided over approximately 400 trials, including 52 jury trials. Judge Perez has also taught trial advocacy at her alma mater, Temple University Beasley School of Law, for more than a decade.

In recognition of her extensive trial experience on and off the bench, Judge Perez enjoys the strong bipartisan support of Senators Casey and Toomey. The American Bar Association has also unanimously rated Judge Perez as ``well qualified'' to serve on the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. And if confirmed, Judge Perez would make history as the second Latina judge--and the first AAPI judge--to serve in this role.

I support this outstanding nominee, and I urge my colleagues to join me in doing so.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source