Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Advancing The Nomination Of Judge Florence Pan To Serve As Circuit Court Judge For The D.C. Circuit

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the importance of advancing Judge Florence Pan’s nomination to serve as a Circuit Court Judge for the D.C. Circuit. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

As we begin the third week of the work period, the Senate presses ahead to confirm more of President Biden’s impressive lineup of judicial nominees.

This week, we will aim to confirm our sixth—yes, our sixth—circuit court nominee of the month, and this one is especially important: it’s to move forward on Judge Florence Pan to serve as a lifetime appointment to the US Circuit Court for the District of Columbia.

After the Supreme Court, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is the most important federal court in the country, with jurisdiction over cases involving Congress and executive branch agencies.

It goes without saying that those nominated to serve as jurists on this court must be individuals of the highest caliber, of impeccable credentials, and must show deep fidelity to the Constitution.

And the President couldn’t have done better than Judge Pan: a brilliant, accomplished, and truly bipartisan nominee. The Senate confirmed her to the D.C. District Court with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 68-30. Since then, her conduct on the bench has vindicated that margin, so I hope we see similar bipartisan support this week.

The daughter of Taiwanese Immigrants, Judge Pan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her law degree from Stanford, where she wrote on the Law Review.

As a judge for both the D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. District Court, she’s seen practically every kind of legal dispute under the sun: criminal law, family law, administrative law, consumer protection, immigration, employment law, and more. In short, she is, a remarkably qualified and experienced jurist.

So I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of advancing this nominee. A seat on the D.C. Circuit deserves to be filled by a high-caliber and impartial jurist, and thankfully we have that in Judge Pan.

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