Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Latest Slate of Circuit & District Court Nominations

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Eunice C. Lee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Veronica S. Rossman, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit; David G. Estudillo, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington; Lauren J. King, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington; and Tana Lin, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington.  Ahead of the votes, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged his colleagues to support all five nominees.

Key Durbin quotes:

“Ms. Lee has dedicated her entire legal career to public service.  [A] Graduate of Yale Law School, [she held] two prestigious clerkships, one on the Southern District of Ohio and [one on] the Sixth Circuit.  She then joined New York’s Office of the Appellate Defender [and] spent more than two decades representing indigent criminal defendants in appellate matters.  In 2019, Ms. Lee joined the Federal Defenders of New York as an assistant federal public defender, continuing her dedication to represent people fairly in our criminal justice system.”

“Ms. Rossman is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee with extensive appellate experience in both private practice and as a federal public defender… Since 2010, she has served the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Districts of Colorado and Wyoming and is now the office’s Chief of Appeals.  She has personally handled and supervised over 100 criminal appellate matters arising out of every judicial district in the Tenth Circuit.”

“Since joining the bench, Judge Estudillo has presided over 46 jury and bench trials that have gone to verdict or judgment, in both civil and criminal matters.  The range of cases is vast.”

“Ms. King is highly qualified.  For the last eight years, she has served as an appellate court judge in the Northwest Intertribal Court System.  She has also been a litigator in private practice for over 12 years, handling cases from commercial contract disputes, construction litigation, and intellectual property disputes—to name a few… If confirmed, Ms. King would be the first Native American Article III judge to serve in the Western District of Washington.”

“Ms. Lin is an accomplished litigator with 30 years of experience protecting consumers, defending indigent criminal defendants, enforcing our nation’s anti-discrimination laws, and dedicating countless hours to pro bono matters… Ms. Lin will bring professional diversity to the Western District of Washington.  And as the first Asian-American appointee to either of Washington’s judicial districts, she will also bring demographic diversity to the bench.”

Video of Durbin’s statement is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s statement is available here.

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

Eunice C. Lee, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, advanced out of Committee with a vote of 11-10.

Veronica S. Rossman, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit, advanced out of Committee with a bipartisan vote of 12-10.

David G. Estudillo, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington, advanced out of Committee with a bipartisan vote of 15-7.

Lauren J. King, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington, advanced out of Committee with a bipartisan vote of 13-9.

Tana Lin, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington, advanced out of Committee with a vote of 11-10.

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