-9999
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I am really pleased to join my colleague Senator Hassan to speak in support of Samantha Elliott's nomination to the Federal District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
As we heard from Senator Hassan, Samantha Elliott has had an amazing public service career. Her professional experience and commitment to ensuring equal access to justice make her eminently qualified to serve on the Federal bench. She will make an excellent addition to the Federal district court in New Hampshire.
Now, Samantha actually came to the practice of law in a less traditional way. She started out first as a writer for magazines before she and her husband flipped a coin to see who would go to law school. After graduating from Columbia Law School--she obviously won the toss-- she joined Gallagher, Callahan and Gartrell, a law firm in Concord, our capital city.
Since becoming an attorney, Samantha has litigated before Federal and State courts, handling an impressive collection of matters that involves complex areas of law. She has also served in a variety of leadership positions at her firm, including serving as president for 5 years.
During the selection process, Samantha always came back to the importance of equal access to justice, saying at one point: ``No one closes or opens doors to access to justice like a judge does.'' Samantha knows firsthand, through her extensive work with the New Hampshire legal aid community, just how correct that saying is.
For 9 years, she served on the joint board of the New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice and Referral Center, and she has held various roles on its executive committee. Samantha has also spent more than 2\1/2\ years on a special committee that has met every other Monday to revisit the structure of legal aid in New Hampshire. Just think about that--every other Monday for 2\1/2\ years to better restructure legal aid in New Hampshire. These tireless efforts culminated in the creation of 603 Legal Aid, which is a new entity that will increase access to justice for New Hampshire's low-income residents.
Samantha has consistently demonstrated her commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to justice no matter what their socioeconomic status. As a result of her commitment, her tenacity, and her respect for the law, Samantha's nomination has garnered widespread support throughout the New Hampshire legal community, including from Chuck Douglas, who is a former Republican Representative to Congress and New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice. Now, he has only ever faced Samantha as an adversary in litigation, but he said she is an ``excellent lawyer who is creative and diligent and exhibits the highest standards of our profession.''
In addition to former Justice Douglas, Samantha's nomination is supported by a diverse collection of attorneys and others in the New Hampshire legal community, including the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association; Judge Gary Hicks, who is a current supreme court justice in New Hampshire, a senior associate; and George Moore, the executive director of the New Hampshire Bar Association, to name just a few of those who have weighed in with letters of support.
Re: Nomination of Samantha Elliott to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: On behalf of the unanimous Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association, and in my personal capacity as her law partner, I write, collectively with the Board, in support of Samantha Elliott's nomination for the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. We urge the Committee and full Senate to promptly review and confirm her nomination.
Since admission to the bar, Attorney Elliott has spent her entire legal career practicing in New Hampshire. She has represented plaintiffs and defendants, individuals, corporations, and governmental entities. She has handled matters in nearly all areas of civil practice, such as commercial disputes, employment and discrimination, product liability, property rights, and municipal defense in civil rights litigation. She has successfully represented clients in litigation, trials, and appeals in every New Hampshire state court, the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
In addition to her legal work, Attorney Elliott has dedicated over a decade towards volunteer board work in service to legal aid, first with New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice and Referral Center, and then 603 Legal Aid. Attorney Elliott frequently speaks on lawyers' continuing legal education panels, including multiple years with the Federal Practice Institute. She is an active member of the American Inns of Court, and has served on both the New Hampshire Court Accreditation Commission and the Federal Court Advisory Committee.
The New Hampshire Women's Bar Association Board of Directors strongly supports Attorney Elliott's nomination to the federal bench. Attorney Elliott is an outstanding member of our legal community. She possesses the mental acumen and temperament to decide matters fairly and impartially. She would be an asset to the federal judiciary, and we strongly recommend her appointment. Sincerely, Caroline K. Leonard, NHWBA President 2020-2022; Christina A. Ferrari, Immediate Past President; Katherine E. Hedges, Treasurer; Lyndsay N. Robinson, Networking Chair; Meredith R. Farrell, Public Relations Chair; Christine Hilliard, Public Service Chair; Emily Gray Rice, Member at large; Marrielle B. Van Rossum, Member at large; Lindsey B. Courtney, Vice President; Brooke Lovett Shilo, Secretary; Alexandra S. Cote, Membership Chair; Shauna Segelke, Programming Chair; Terri M. Harrington, Member at large; Courtney G. Tanner, Member at large. ____ Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C., October 6, 2021. Re: Nomination of Samantha Elliott to the District Court of New Hampshire
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: I am writing to support the nomination of Samantha Elliott of New Hampshire to be a United States District Judge for the District of New Hampshire.
I served as a judge for over 10 years on the state Superior Court and the state Supreme Court and have practiced in the federal courts since I was admitted to the Bar in 1968. I know what the job entails and that she will perform admirably.
We currently have at least two cases in which Attorney Elliott is on the other side. I have never been in litigation with her other than as adversaries. She is an excellent lawyer who is creative and diligent and exhibits the highest standards of our profession. She is well respected in the New Hampshire Bar and has served our legal aid and legal assistance programs for years.
I have also dealt with her as a lobbyist for a pool of municipal governments. While we were adversaries for years over various immunities and governmental disputes with plaintiffs, she always kept her word and I could trust her to accurately convey our negotiated deals even if I were not present to submit them to a committee. That is an extremely rare quality, and one that is not general currency in our capital or yours.
I have no hesitation supporting her nomination and know she will serve the judiciary well on our bench.
By the way I enjoyed serving with then Congressman Durbin when I was in the House in 1989 and 1990. Sincerely, Charles G. Douglas, III. ____ October 2, 2021. Re: Nomination of Samantha D. Elliott to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: We are writing in enthusiastic support of Samantha Elliott's nomination to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Both of us have worked closely with Ms. Elliott over the past ten years to achieve the goal of equal access to justice for all in New Hampshire.
Deborah, a legal aid lawyer in Tennessee and New Hampshire in her early career, served as a judicial officer in New Hampshire's Superior Court and Family Division for 25 years. In 2013, following her retirement from the bench, Deborah joined the overlapping Boards of New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA)and the Legal Advice & Referral Center (LARC) serving as Co-Chair of the Joint Board and then Chair of the LARC Board. Beginning in 2018, Deborah spearheaded the Statewide Planning Committee, created to improve the delivery of quality legal services to low income and disadvantaged residents of New Hampshire. This three-year effort resulted in the merger of LARC and the NH Bar Association's Pro Bono Program into 603 Legal Aid, collaborating in partnership with NHLA. Ms. Elliott and Deborah have worked closely over the past five years, as Co- Chairs of the overlapping Boards, and during this intense three-year Statewide Planning commitment. Deborah is now a founding member of the 603 Legal Aid Board, of which Ms. Elliott is the founding Co-Chair.
John is currently a legal aid consultant and NH school funding advocate. He worked for 38 years at NHLA New Hampshire Legal Assistance as a staff attorney and managing attorney before serving for 18 years as the program's. Executive Director until his retirement in 2014. During his time at NHLA he played a leadership role in advocacy for equal justice in New Hampshire, in the New England region, and nationally. He was Executive Director of NHLA during the beginning of Ms. Elliott's term on the overlapping Boards of NHLA and the Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC).
We have observed Ms. Elliott's superior intellect and communication skills, and we have seen how others respond to her measured and perceptive analysis of difficult problems. We know how respected she is among her fellow Board members and the staff of NHLA, LARC, and now 603 Legal Aid, who have relied on her good and ethical judgment in the governance of these organizations. And we have been impressed with her work ethic, her focus, her humanity, and her integrity. She possesses in great abundance the intelligence, ethical grounding, and temperament that are vital to being a fair and effective judge.
While we admire her intellect and her character, from our perspective as legal aid leaders we want to emphasize Ms. Elliott's extraordinary fidelity to the concept of equal justice and her commitment to seeing that everyone has the opportunity to access this basic American value, no matter their position in society. The amount of time and energy that Ms. Elliott has devoted to the cause of equal justice is immeasurable. Despite the demands of a busy law practice, Ms. Elliott has unsparingly committed herself to assuring that New Hampshire's legal aid organizations are well-managed and highly collaborative, so that they can deliver quality legal services to the poor. She has used her stellar reputation in the legal community to recruit prominent lawyers to support access to justice efforts, whether in leadership positions, as advocates, or as donors. She has volunteered her own legal services by assisting the Boards in understanding their fiduciary responsibilities and providing advice on other legal matters. She has developed relationships with the executive leadership of NHLA, LARC, and 603 Legal Aid, nurturing mutual trust and mutual commitment to mission. And she has advocated in multiple forums, including at the NH Supreme Court and in the NH Legislature, in support of everyone's right to justice and dignity in our legal system.
We hope that you will consider this nomination favorably. We are confident that, as a judge, Ms. Elliott will be highly competent and deeply compassionate. We know that she will treat everyone who appears before her with the respect they deserve from our judicial system, regardless of their social status or identity. And, as a member of the federal bench, she will have the opportunity to bring our court system closer to the goal of equal access to justice for all. Sincerely, Deborah Kane Rein, Esq.,
Lake Worth, FL (formerly Concord, NH). John E. Tobin, Jr., Esq.,
Concord, NH. ____ New Hampshire Bar Association, October 1, 2021. Re: The nomination of Samantha Elliott to the District Court for the United States District of New Hampshire
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: I write in support of the nomination of Samantha Elliott to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. I urge the committee and full Senate to promptly review and confirm her nomination. I have worked with Attorney Elliott on a number of matters over the years and found her to be an exceedingly excellent trial lawyer and advocate for both plaintiffs and defendants. She is extraordinarily bright, personable, and has a great temperament to be on the bench. In the course of her career, she also served as managing partner of her law firm.
In addition, I worked very closely with Attorney Elliott in her capacity as a Board Member for New Hampshire Legal Assistance and Legal Advice and Referral Center. Together, we recently merged the Bar Association's Pro Bono program with the Legal Advice and Referral Center to create a new statewide entity to serve indigent citizens. The new organization's name is 603 Legal Aid, and it was Attorney Elliott's determination, forthrightness, and ability to bring various stakeholders to the table that ensured that our efforts would be successful. There is no doubt that she will bring the same energy, judgment, and intellectual capacity to the federal bench.
In closing, I respectfully submit my strong support for Samantha Elliott and request the committee and full Senate to promptly review and confirm her nomination to this important position. Very Truly Yours, George R. Moore Esq., Executive Director, New Hampshire Bar Association. ____ Backus, Meyer & Branch, LLP, Attorneys at Law, Manchester, NH, October 4, 2021. Re: Samantha Elliott
Dear Senator Durbin: I welcome this opportunity to support the nomination of Samantha Elliott. I have practiced law in New Hampshire since 1977, first with the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, and since 1981 in private practice. My principal areas of work are plaintiff's employment law and civil rights. Attorney Elliott has been defense counsel in several of my cases. In my experience, she is very knowledgeable of the law, has excellent legal skills, and works hard to achieve a fair outcome. Notwithstanding her defense counsel role, she has demonstrated a capacity to empathize with the plaintiff.
She has a strong commitment to securing equal protection and justice. Equally important, at least from my perspective, is her welcoming demeanor which would make her courtroom a great place to practice law.
Please let me know if I can provide any further information. Sincerely, Jon Meyer. ____ Backus, Meyer & Branch, LLP, Attorneys at Law, Manchester, NH, October 4, 2021. Re: Samantha Elliott
Dear Senator Grassley: I welcome this opportunity to support the nomination of Samantha Elliott. I have practiced law in New Hampshire since 1977, first with the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, and since 1981 in private practice. My principal areas of work are plaintiff's employment law and civil rights. Attorney Elliott has been defense counsel in several of my cases. In my experience, she is very knowledgeable of the law, has excellent legal skills, and works hard to achieve a fair outcome. Notwithstanding her defense counsel role, she has demonstrated a capacity to empathize with the plaintiff.
She has a strong commitment to securing equal protection and justice. Equally important, at least from my perspective, is her welcoming demeanor which would make her courtroom a great place to practice law.
Please let me know if I can provide any further information. Sincerely, Jon Meyer. ____ The State of New Hampshire Supreme Court, September 28, 2021. Re: Nomination of Samantha Elliott to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: It is with much pleasure that I write to you in support of Attorney Samantha Elliott. My knowledge of her qualifications derives from ten years of personal observations including: multiple arguments before our court; active participation in our Daniel Webster Inns of Court; and her remarkable public service.
Attorney Elliott has earned an exalted position among New Hampshire lawyers. She has the wisdom, the patience, and the sense of humor necessary to become one of the finest District Court judges to sit in our lifetime.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like any further information. Very truly yours, Gary E. Hicks, Senior Associate Justice.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. SHAHEEN. I am confident that Samantha's passion for the law and dedication to the impartial administration of justice will make her an excellent judge, and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source