Judiciary Committee Advances Ten Nominees, Including Two Judicial Nominees, Seven Sentencing Commission Nominees, and an Assistant Attorney General

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Florence Y. Pan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; and Elizabeth Wilson Hanes, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Pan received a vote of 13-9; and Hanes received a vote of 15-7.

The Committee also advanced Carlton W. Reeves, to be a Member and Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission; Laura E. Mate, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; Claire McCusker Murray, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; Luis Felipe Restrepo, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; Claria Horn Boom, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; John Gleeson, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; and Candice C. Wong, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission, by voice vote.

The Committee also advanced Carlos Felipe Uriarte, to be an Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs, by a vote of 13-9.

Ahead of votes, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke to the qualifications of several of today’s nominees.

Key Durbin quotes:

“[T]he Sentencing Commission has not had a quorum for three years. With no quorum, the Commission—created in 1984 and tasked by Congress to promote transparency and consistency in sentencing—has been unable to update the sentencing guidelines to provide guidance to judges. Today, we make an important step to rectify the situation… [and] enable the Commission to get back to its work.”

“[Judge Pan] clerked on the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit before spending her entire legal career in public service… [She served as a] judge on the D.C. Superior Court from 2009 to 2021, [and] was confirmed to the D.C. District Court on a strong bipartisan vote of 68 to 30 last year.”

“[Judge Hanes has had a] lengthy and distinguished career in public service… [She] was appointed to serve as a magistrate judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, [where she] issued more than 100 opinions and has never been reversed.”

“[Mr. Uriarte] had, at one point, been a law clerk to then-Republican Chair Arlen Specter. I know that many members of the Committee on both sides of the aisle have been frustrated by the Justice Department’s responsiveness on a host of oversight issues. I join that chorus. Mr. Uriarte, be prepared: we’re going to confront starting as soon as you are in office with this position with the concerns of this Committee on our level of communications.”

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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