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Floor Speech

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Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I rise today in support of Mr. Jamar Walker, whom President Biden has nominated to serve as a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Jamar is a fellow Virginian and outstanding public servant. For the last decade, he has been an invaluable asset to Virginia's legal community, bringing both his zeal for public service and his personal life story.

Jamar is a Virginia native, originally from our Eastern Shore. If you ever look at a map of Virginia, you see this strip that may not be completely connected. It literally goes from Virginia to Maryland and Delaware. It is a strip of land that is very rural. Jamar is from that part of our Commonwealth.

He is a two-time graduate of the University of Virginia. Following his time at both UVA as an undergrad and UVA Law, Jamar began his career in public service clerking for the Honorable Raymond Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, whose same seat he has actually--if we approve him tonight--been nominated to fill.

And for the past 7 years, Jamar has dedicated his professional career in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he currently serves as the Acting Chief of the Financial Crime and Public Corruption Unit.

A testament to his ability to try complex cases, Jamar has received five service awards from the FBI for his excellent work in public correction, wire fraud, and bank fraud cases. His commitment to the Commonwealth spans far beyond his day job. Jamar has volunteered for countless collegiate mock trial tournaments and returned to his alma mater time and again to speak out on guest panels.

Once sworn in, Jamar will also be the first openly gay Federal district judge in Virginia. Jamar's community-oriented mindset, career qualifications, and numerous accolades make him an exceptional nominee for the Eastern District of Virginia, a district that is known as the ``rocket docket'' in terms of moving cases quickly through. His experience, particularly in the U.S. Attorney's office, is well-suited to deal with the ``rocket docket.''

I know he will serve with distinction and make both our country and our Commonwealth proud. I urge my colleagues, when this vote starts in about 10 minutes, to support his nomination. He came out in a bipartisan vote from the Judiciary Committee. He is an exceptional young man, and I know will do a great job.

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