Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Upcoming Senate Vote To Confirm Margaret Garnett To Serve As District Judge For The Southern District Of New York

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the Senate’s continued work to confirm President Biden’s judicial nominees. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

So, in a few minutes, we’re going to proceed on the nomination of an outstanding public servant, Margaret Garnett, who I was proud to recommend to President Biden as District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

She’s a proud resident of Brooklyn, a brilliant legal thinker, and someone whose entire life story has been defined by public service.

She’s had more than a decade of experience prosecuting cases ranging from murder, to robbery, to financial fraud, and more, as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Fifteen times she’s tried a case all the way to jury verdict, including what was at the time the largest tax fraud case in U.S. history.

But Ms. Garnett is also a fierce defender of the rights of the accused. She was instrumental in exonerating five individuals wrongly convicted of murder. She once said that “Our job is to do justice, and that’s a much broader task and quest than racking up convictions.”

Our courts need more public servants like Margaret Garnett—described by her colleagues not just as brilliant, but wise; not just as determined, but kind; not just an outstanding lawyer, but a true friend and defender of our system.

If anyone, anyone has mastered the recipe for serving as an excellent jurist, it’s certainly Margaret Garnett and so I was so eager to recommend her to the President for the federal bench and am proud to support the nomination of Margaret Garnett today, and encourage my colleagues to support her as well.

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