Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing on Latest Nominations
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Jerry Edwards, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana; Brandon S. Long, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Matthew James Maddox, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland; and Philip S. Hadji, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims.
Key quotes:
“… the Louisiana Senators have, over the last several months, answered my call to work in good faith with the White House on judicial and executive nominees. I value their partnership and appreciate the bipartisan cooperation that has produced the two nominees on today’s panel.”
“Notably, one of the nominees on today’s panel will be the first person of color ever to serve on the federal bench in the Western District of Louisiana. It is important to recognize this important historic milestone, as well as the accomplishments and professional experience of all of today’s nominees.”
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.
The hearing continues the Committee’s work filling judicial vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. Under the leadership of Chair Durbin, the Senate has confirmed 137 judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench during the Biden administration.
Biographies from the White House are below:
Jerry Edwards, Jr.: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Jerry Edwards, Jr., has served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport since 2022. Previously he served as Chief of the Civil Division from 2020 to 2022 after joining that office as an Assistant United States Attorney in 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Edwards was an associate from 2006 to 2014 and then a shareholder and director from 2014 to 2019 at Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin & Roberts, A.P.L.C. From 2005 to 2006, he served as a law clerk for Judges Jeanette G. Garrett and Scott J. Crichton of the First Judicial District Court of Louisiana. Mr. Edwards received his J.D. from Vermont Law School in 2005 and his B.A. from Georgia State University in 2002.
Brandon Scott Long: Candidate for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Brandon Scott Long has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans since 2014. From February 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Long was detailed to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2014. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Long was an associate at King & Spalding L.L.P. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2005 and received a B.B.A. and a B.A., cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999.
Matthew J. Maddox: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Matthew J. Maddox has served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Maryland since 2022. Previously, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland from 2015 to 2022. From 2012 to 2014, Judge Maddox worked as a litigation associate at Holland & Knight LLP. He served as a law clerk for Judge Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2014 to 2015 and for Judge Gerald Bruce Lee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2011 to 2012. Judge Maddox received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2011 and his B.A. from Morgan State University in 1999.
Philip S. Hadji: Candidate for the United States Court of Federal Claims
Philip S. Hadji has served as a civilian attorney with the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of the Navy since 2011. He has served as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Naval Litigation Office since October 2022, as an Associate Counsel and then Deputy Counsel in the District of Columbia Office of the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command from 2020 to 2022, an Assistant Counsel and then Division Director in the Acquisition Integrity Office from 2016 to 2020, and an Assistant Counsel at the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center from 2011 to 2016. He received his LL.M. from George Washington University Law School in 2011, his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2009, and his A.B., cum laude, from Hamilton College in 2004.
-30-
