Bipartisan Judicial Nomination: President Bush Follows Recommendation of Durbin & Obama to Fill Federal Judgeship in Northern District of Illinois

BIPARTISAN JUDICIAL NOMINATION: PRESIDENT BUSH FOLLOWS RECOMMENDATION OF DURBIN & OBAMA TO FILL FEDERAL JUDGESHIP IN NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

President Bush this week officially nominated Virginia M. Kendall to fill the federal district court vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois. In May, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL), in consultation with Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) submitted Kendall's name to President Bush for his consideration.

Ms. Kendall has been a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago since 1995. She received the FBI Director's Letter of Recognition in 1998 for serving as lead counsel in the first Internet kidnapping case in the nation. She also received this award for her work in the United States v. Segal prosecution against a corporate president and his corporation who defrauded individuals of over $30 million. Ms. Kendall won the Chicago Crime Commission Star of Distinction Award in 2004 for her work on the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative and the Coalition Against Child Exploitation. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law since 1993, and she worked as a law clerk to Judge George Marovich on the federal district court in Chicago. Ms. Kendall is a graduate of Northwestern University and Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, where she won the First Place Oralist award in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition (U.S. Region). Ms. Kendall was born in Evanston, Illinois and now lives with her husband in Glenview, Illinois. They have three children.

"Virginia Kendall is a highly respected prosecutor with a stellar reputation for diligence, intelligence and integrity. She will bring to the bench a great depth of experience and legal ability," said Durbin. "She will make a fine judge. I was honored to join my colleagues in recommending her name to the President, and am pleased that he has acted on that recommendation by nominating her to fill this important vacancy."

"Ms. Kendall has earned widespread recognition and distinction for her tireless efforts to stand up for the people of Illinois and keep families and children safe from harm," said Obama. "I am pleased that the President has agreed with our recommendation that her considerable legal talents and experience will serve our country well on this federal court."

The President traditionally respects the wishes of a home-state senator of his own party in making federal district court nominations. In cases where both U.S. senators are of the opposite party from the President, he usually consults with the highest ranking elected official of his own party. The State of Illinois has a long tradition of seeking bipartisan cooperation in the recommendation of federal district court nominees for Presidential consideration.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=246783&&