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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Brad Garcia to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Garcia is an accomplished appellate litigator and public servant whose breadth and depth of experience will make him an outstanding addition to the D.C. Circuit. A graduate of Johns Hopkins and Harvard Law School, Mr. Garcia began his career with clerkships for judges appointed by Presidents of both political parties, Judge Thomas Griffith on the D.C. Circuit and Justice Elena Kagan on the U.S. Supreme Court.

After his clerkships, Mr. Garcia joined the appellate practice of O'Melveny and Myers, where he ultimately became a partner. During his time at the firm, he drafted dozens of briefs in Federal and State appellate courts and delivered 13 appellate oral arguments, including one in the Supreme Court and 10 in the Federal courts of appeals.

Throughout his career, Mr. Garcia has demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono work, advocating for clients in cases implicating the rights of immigrants and criminal defendants, reproductive freedoms, and free and fair elections. In three cases, the Fourth Circuit appointed Mr. Garcia either as amicus counsel or to represent indigent criminal defendants, a testament to his impartiality and effectiveness as an appellate attorney. Mr. Garcia currently serves as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, where he has continued to demonstrate his commitment to public service and defending the rule of law.

If confirmed, Mr. Garcia will be the first Latino judge on the D.C. Circuit. He was rated ``well qualified'' by the ABA and has received support from leaders across the political spectrum, which reflects his well-established credibility in the legal community.

Mr. Garcia is an exemplary pick for the D.C. Circuit. I strongly support his nomination and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for his confirmation.

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