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Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Seth Aframe to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Mr. Aframe has deep ties to the First Circuit. Born in Boston, he received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Tufts University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center before clerking for Justice Judith A. Cowin on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He then entered private practice in Boston, where he worked at a large firm and primarily practiced employment law. In 2003, he moved to New Hampshire, where he clerked for Judge Jeffrey R. Howard on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Concord.
In 2007, Mr. Aframe joined the civil division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire as an assistant U.S. attorney. In 2010, he was appointed to serve as the appellate chief within the criminal division, and he was promoted to chief of the criminal division in 2023. Mr. Aframe has tried 19 cases to verdict, including 18 jury trials; and he has argued approximately 100 cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. In addition to his work as a litigator, Mr. Aframe also serves as the District of New Hampshire's elections officer and civil rights coordinator, and he represents the U.S. attorney on the District of New Hampshire's alternative drug court.
Mr. Aframe is strongly supported by both of his home State Senators-- Mrs. Shaheen and Ms. Hassan--and the American Bar Association unanimously rated him as ``well qualified'' to serve on the First Circuit. His significant litigation background and extensive experience in Federal court ensure that he will be a valuable addition to the First Circuit.
In a letter supporting Mr. Aframe's nomination, a bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys for the District of New Hampshire wrote that, ``[t]o our minds, there is no one better-suited or better qualified to join the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.'' I am of the same mind. I am proud to support this nominee, and I urge my colleagues to join me.
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