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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Melissa DuBose to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Born in Providence, RI, Judge DuBose received her B.A. from Providence College and served as a teacher in Rhode Island for 11 years. While teaching high school, she earned her law degree by attending night classes at Roger Williams School of Law. Judge DuBose began her legal career as a special assistant attorney general in the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, where she was responsible for prosecuting adults charged with child abuse, felonies committed by juveniles, and violations of probation. She then joined Schneider Electric as a senior legal counsel, assisting and providing legal counsel in litigation involving federal government-related disputes.

In 2019, then-Governor Gina Raimondo appointed Judge DuBose to serve as an associate judge on the Rhode Island District Court, where she has presided over approximately 250 to 300 bench trials that have gone to verdict or judgment. The American Bar Association rated Judge DuBose as ``qualified'' to serve on the district court, and she has the strong support of her home State Senators, Mr. Reed and Mr. Whitehouse.

Judge DuBose's deep ties to the Rhode Island legal community, combined with her significant courtroom experience, will make her an excellent addition to the Federal bench.

I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.

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