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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Rachel Bloomekatz to an Ohio seat on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Bloomekatz is a longtime appellate litigator who has represented a diverse range of clients, across the political and ideological spectrum, throughout her career. She received her bachelor's degree from Harvard College and her law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, before clerking for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Following this role, Ms. Bloomekatz clerked for Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and spent 1 year serving as an assistant attorney general in the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. She then clerked for Justice Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court.

She later entered private practice, where she focused on protecting voting rights and holding government actors accountable. During this time, she represented a wide variety of clients on appellate matters, including, in one case, representing one of our Republican colleagues in the Senate.

Today, Ms. Bloomekatz works as a solo practitioner. And throughout her legal career, she has amassed significant experience briefing and arguing dozens of Federal and State appeals. In each matter, irrespective of her client, she has proven herself to be an effective advocate and has regularly won praise from opposing counsel.

The American Bar Association has unanimously rated Ms. Bloomekatz ``well qualified,'' and she has the strong support of Senator Brown.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for her confirmation.

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