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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote to confirm Jeannette Vargas to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

A highly skilled litigator, Ms. Vargas is a dedicated public servant who will be an asset to the Federal bench. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Ms. Vargas began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett before clerking for then-Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Since 2002, Ms. Vargas has been an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. In addition, she previously served as deputy chief of the Tax and Bankruptcy Unit, chief of the Tax and Bankruptcy Unit, and senior trial counsel. She currently serves as deputy chief of the Civil Division.

In the U.S. attorney's office, Ms. Vargas has handled and supervised a range of complex commercial litigation cases in the areas of bankruptcy, tax, civil rights, national security, and administrative law. She has also investigated criminal civil rights cases involving allegations of excessive use of force.

Over the course of her legal career, Vargas has tried eight cases to verdict. She has also drafted or helped draft more than two dozen appellate briefs and has argued 10 cases before Federal appellate courts.

Ms. Vargas has the strong support of her home State Senators, Mr. Schumer and Mrs. Gillibrand. In addition, she was rated unanimously ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association.

I urge my colleagues to support Ms. Vargas's nomination.

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