-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Andrew Schopler, who has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Since 2016, Judge Schopler has served as a magistrate judge for the Southern District of California. To date, he has presided over five misdemeanor trials. Prior to his Federal judicial appointment, he served as a judge pro tem for 5 years on the San Diego Superior Court's Small Claims Court, where he presided over dozens of civil bench trials. Before joining the bench, Judge Schopler served the Southern District of California as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 12 years, spending 4 years in the general crimes section, four in the criminal enterprise/narcotics enforcement section, and four in the major frauds and special prosecutions section, where he served as deputy chief. Judge Schopler began his legal career in North Carolina as an assistant public defender at the Orange and Chatham County Public Defender's Office and in private practice. He tried approximately 55 cases to verdict or judgment and was sole counsel in 39. Since 2014, Judge Schopler has also served this country as a major in the U.S. Army, California Army National Guard. In 2018, he deployed to Afghanistan for 8 months.

Born in Chapel Hill, NC, Judge Schopler earned his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1997 and his B.A. summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1994. Senators Feinstein and Padilla strongly support Judge Schopler's nomination. The American Bar Association has also unanimously rated him ``well qualified'' to serve on the Southern District of California.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this highly qualified nominee.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source