-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Joseph Laroski to the U.S. Court of International Trade.

Mr. Laroski earned his B.S.F.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. After graduating, he clerked for Judge Dominick L. DiCarlo on the Court of International Trade. Following his clerkship, Mr. Laroski joined the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as an associate. During his time in private practice, Mr. Laroski represented a host of clients, including domestic companies, international producers and exporters, industry associations, U.S. importers, and trade unions. He has also spent 9 years in the Federal Government, serving as associate general counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, advisor to the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and Director of Police and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Police and Negotiations at the International Trade Administration. In these roles, he represented the United States in dispute settlements under free trade agreements, served as agency counsel on import injury investigations, advised senior Department of Commerce officials on trade policy matters, and oversaw negotiation and compliance efforts on international trade agreements.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Laroski has handled trade matters before the International Trade Commission, the Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the World Trade Organization, and regional trade agreement dispute bodies.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Mr. Laroski ``qualified.'' His extensive experience in international trade litigation, both in private practice and the Federal Government, ensures that he will be an asset to the Court of International Trade. I will vote in favor of his confirmation and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source