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Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I rise in support of Jamar Walker, who has been nominated as U.S. district court judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division. We will be voting in a few minutes on Mr. Walker's nomination. He is an assistant U.S. attorney for the EDVA, where he currently serves as the Acting Chief for the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit.

Mr. Walker was raised by a single mother on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where he attended public schools, graduating from Nandua High School in Accomack County, VA. He is a double graduate of the University of Virginia and clerked for Judge Raymond Jackson, whose seat he has been nominated to fill in a particularly nice turn of events. Mr. Walker counts Judge Jackson as among his mentors who inspired in him not just a life of service but also a deep commitment to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Eastern Shore.

Following his clerkship, Mr. Walker worked first as an associate at Covington & Burling, where he actually was an associate for one of my best friends, the head of the litigation section there, John Hall, who speaks very highly of Jamar Walker. Then he joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Given his deep history with the EDVA, it will come as no surprise that Mr. Walker has broad support in this very important court, starting with Judge Jackson. In his letter of support, Judge Jackson observes that Mr. Walker ``has the intellectual prowess, integrity, and temperament that is fundamental in the position of a Federal judge.'' Former U.S. attorneys in the Eastern District Dana Boente and Zach Terwilliger note that Mr. Walker ``is a person of unimpeachable character who is known by the bench and bar for his keen intellect, decency, sober judgment, and humility.''

As you can see, Mr. Walker would be serving the same community that raised him, where he has deep ties and is widely respected. For these reasons, Jamar Walker received a ``well qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association.

His nomination is also historic in that, once confirmed and sworn in, Mr. Walker will be the first openly LGBTQ Federal district judge in Virginia.

I practiced in this court for 17 years. It is justifiably called the rocket docket because it has one of the fastest times from filing a case to trial of any district in the United States--6 months from filing a case to trial. Such speed is tough on the judges, and it is tough on the lawyers, but the EDVA does it because, for the litigants, the ability to know that they will have their claim heard within 6 months is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

The EDVA is also a little bit unique because its proximity to the Pentagon and the CIA and Federal Government Agencies gives it a docket that has a high percentage of national security cases. Mr. Walker's experience in and knowledge of the EDVA and his work on cases of that kind will be very critical to his success once he is confirmed.

In short, this is an exceptional nominee and historymaker who is well qualified to serve on a most unique court. He received a strongly bipartisan vote in the Judiciary Committee. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of his nomination.

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