Nomination of David G. Estudillo

Floor Speech

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Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I come to the floor this afternoon to support the nomination of David Estudillo to serve as district court judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

I am pleased to join my colleague Senator Murray in supporting Judge Estudillo, who was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan basis, and I certainly appreciate the support of both the chairman and the ranking member on this nomination.

Mr. Estudillo is the son of Mexican immigrants who came to the Yakima Valley as part of the Bracero Program in the 1960s.

Growing up, he learned and embraced both the culture of his parents and that of the United States. Judge Estudillo is a great example of the successes and contributions many immigrant families make to our great Nation.

Judge Estudillo earned an associate of arts degree from Columbia Basin Community College and his bachelor of arts degree and juris doctorate from the University of Washington.

After graduating from law school, Judge Estudillo practiced general and civil litigation and immigration law in Moses Lake and Seattle and tried cases in both Seattle and Tacoma immigration courts. He is well experienced in many issues of the law.

He was appointed to the Grant County Superior Court in 2015 and was the only Latino judge in any Eastern Washington State court. Judge Estudillo received bipartisan support, with endorsements from both Democratic and Republican local officials and support from all nine of Washington State Supreme Court justices.

He has earned the respect and the support of his community. To quote a letter that was sent to the Judiciary Committee from Mayor David Curnel of Moses Lake, WA, he said Judge Estudillo ``is a respected member of our community. He is involved in our community. He is committed to our community. This is what I understand about Judge Estudillo and why I can recommend him highly for a Federal judge position.''

In short, Judge Estudillo is a well-qualified jurist, and he has dedicated his entire legal career to practicing and supporting his community. I am pleased to have recommended him along with my colleague Senator Murray to the President. I know his strong character and respect for the rule of law, a sense of justice, fairness, humility, empathy, and capacity for compassion and understanding would be a benefit to the court and all the parties concerned.

I urge my colleagues to support Judge Estudillo's nomination.
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