Judiciary Committee Advances Six District Court Judges, Two U.S. Attorneys

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Kenly Kiya Kato, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Jennifer Louise Rochon, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Sherilyn Peace Garnett, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Nina Morrison, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; and Trina L. Thompson, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.

Kato received a vote of 11-11; Rochon received a vote of 12-10; Sykes received a vote of 12-10; Garnett received a vote of 17-5; Morrison received a vote of 12-10; and Thompson received a vote of 12-10.  Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer may now file a discharge motion on the Kato nomination to place her on the executive calendar.

The Committee also advanced the nominations of Paul Monteiro, to be Director, Community Relations Service; Trina A. Higgins, to be United States Attorney for the District of Utah; and Jane E. Young, to be United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, by voice vote.

Ahead of votes, Durbin spoke to the nomination of Nina Morrison to the Eastern District of New York and addressed some of the claims made by Republican Senators about her record.

Key Durbin quotes:

“Ms. Morrison has spent nearly 20 years litigating with the Innocence Project, where she has pursued—I think—an honorable, noble goal of exonerating wrongfully imprisoned individuals… Clearly, she is someone who understands that there are catastrophic consequences—both for the wrongfully accused and for crime survivors—when the wrong person is convicted.”

“Thanks to Nina Morrison, innocent people have been freed from prison.  Crime survivors have received justice.  And actual perpetrators of violent crime have been identified and taken off the streets.”

“Yet, incredibly, members of this Committee suggested that Ms. Morrison is somehow ‘soft on crime’ and is to blame for, quote, ‘skyrocketing’ crime rates.  Let me emphasize that again: Members of this Committee argued that releasing people from prison who did not actually commit any crime is dangerous for society and leads to, as they said, ‘innocent people being killed.’  That kind of fear-mongering is unacceptable.”

“It is not somehow antithetical to the rule of law for an attorney to represent criminal defendants… The cause of justice is served when there is effective and competent counsel at both tables in the courtroom.”

Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

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