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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Gretchen S. Lund to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Born in Elkhart, IN, Judge Lund earned her B.A., cum laude, from Butler University and her J.D., summa cum laude, from Valparaiso University School of Law. After beginning her legal career as an associate attorney with Ice Miller LLP, Judge Lund clerked for Judge William T. Lawrence on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Following her clerkship, she served as a deputy prosecutor with the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office, where she handled cases assigned to the child support division. In 2006, she was elected to serve as the sole judge for the Goshen City Court, where she presided over criminal misdemeanors, infractions, and ordinance violations. In 2014, Judge Lund was elected to her current seat as the judge on Elkhart Superior Court 4. She presides over both civil and criminal matters and established the county's first drug court. Since joining the bench, she has presided over 27 jury trials, 489 bench trials, and approximately 28,000 cases that have gone to verdict or judgement.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Lund as ``well qualified,'' and she has the strong support of Senators Young and Braun.

Judge Lund's significant courtroom experience and dedication to service make her an excellent nominee to the Northern District of Indiana. I will vote in favor of her confirmation and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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