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Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, today, I am proud to celebrate two district judges joining the Federal bench for the State of California.

We are scheduled to vote shortly on the confirmation of Judge Ana de Alba, who is nominated to become a judge for the Eastern District of California.

Judge de Alba brings a lifelong commitment to advancing justice in California's Central Valley. The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, she was born in Merced, CA, and grew up in a family of farmworkers.

Judge de Alba watched her mother and her grandmother struggle with unfair treatment, as they worked together in some of the hardest jobs in the world.

She decided at a young age that one day--one day--she would become a lawyer to help families like her own.

Judge de Alba is a first-generation high school graduate. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree and her J.D. from UC Berkeley. And after graduating, she built a successful career in private practice in the Central Valley, and she realized her childhood dream of service by establishing a Workers' Rights Clinic for low-wage workers to learn their rights and to seek legal advice.

In 2018, based on her extensive legal experience and proven commitment to the public good, Judge de Alba was appointed by then- Governor Brown to serve as a superior court judge for Fresno County.

Judge de Alba is a dedicated, fair, and universally respected public servant, respected by her colleagues.

I also want to note that if confirmed, Judge de Alba will be the first Latina to sit on the Eastern District bench. She will bring a deep knowledge of the Central Valley and a passion for equal justice, informed and inspired by her own family's story.

So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Judge de Alba's confirmation today.

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