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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Hernan Vera to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. With his years of experience defending equal justice under law, Judge Vera will make an excellent addition to the Federal bench. He received a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law before clerking for Judge Consuelo B. Marshall on the Central District of California. Following his clerkship, Judge Vera entered private practice and focused on complex business disputes with an emphasis on commercial civil litigation and intellectual property issues. He then spent 12 years working for Public Counsel, the Nation's largest pro bono law firm, and eventually became the firm's CEO. During his time with Public Counsel, he exclusively represented low-income clients and litigated hundreds of matters involving consumer fraud, housing, employment, and other civil rights issues.

In 2020, Judge Vera was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court. Since his appointment to the bench, he has presided over more than 200 cases that have gone to verdict or judgment, including cases involving juvenile dependency issues and allegations of child abuse and neglect.

Judge Vera has extensive litigation experience and a proven track record of independent decisionmaking on the bench. And having dedicated such a significant portion of his career to pro bono work, he will bring a unique perspective to the Central District of California.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Vera ``well qualified'' for the Federal bench, and he has the strong support of his home State Senators: Mrs. Feinstein and Mr. Padilla.

I urge my colleagues to support his nomination.

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