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Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise today to celebrate the confirmation of four qualified, exemplary public servants who will now serve as district court judges in California.
One month ago, we celebrated a landmark achievement of the Biden Presidency: 100 Federal judges confirmed by the Senate. That is worthy of being celebrated by all Americans because, from the moment President Biden entered office, he set out to nominate candidates with a diverse range of legal and life experience. We sought to work together to build a Federal bench that looks like the America that it serves.
With the confirmations of Judge Daniel Calabretta, Ms. Araceli Martinez-Olguin, Judge James Simmons, Jr., and Judge Andrew Schopler, we are once again fulfilling that commitment and putting forth the best of the great State of California and the best that our country has to offer.
Now, earlier this year, we confirmed Judge Daniel Calabretta to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Judge Calabretta is an exceptional nominee with the qualifications to serve in the Eastern District with distinction. He earned his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Since then, his nearly two-decade legal career has been defined by a commitment to serving the public's interests. Before he was appointed to the California Superior Court in 2019, his career spanned from the California Department of Justice to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and from Sacramento, CA, to the Supreme Court. In each and every role, he has demonstrated a keen legal mind and a clear commitment to justice.
But beyond his exceptional legal credentials, he brings a valuable diversity of life experience to the Eastern District, a court with one of the highest average per-judge workloads in the country.
Judge Calabretta's confirmation makes him the first openly gay man to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, bringing a voice and experience not yet represented in such a role. But I am confident, with his experience, his acumen, and his judgments, that he will be a tremendous asset for the millions of people that he will now serve.
Now, 2 weeks ago, this body confirmed Araceli Martinez-Olguin to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Born in Mexico City but raised in Northern California, Ms. Martinez-Olguin received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University. She then returned home to California to work as a kindergarten teacher before attending the UC Berkeley School of Law.
She spent her career representing those who all too often are overlooked by the legal system: immigrants, low-income women, and women of color. Ms. Martinez-Olguin has experience at community legal service organizations, as well as the Department of Education and the National Immigration Law Center.
She has litigated at every level of our Federal courts in States across the country and has established herself as a respected leader and expert in the legal community. Her commitment to fighting for the greater good, her decency, and her experience will serve the Northern District well, and I thank my colleagues for supporting her nomination.
Now, just last week, we confirmed Judge James Simmons, Jr., to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Born in Inglewood, CA, Judge Simmons was raised by a single mother in the proud working-class and very diverse community of South Los Angeles.
Judge Simmons was the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and then, later, his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.
Soon after, he became a deputy city attorney in San Diego before working his way up to serve as a deputy district attorney for San Diego County for over a decade. In 2017, Judge Simmons was appointed to the Superior Court of California for San Diego County.
Looking back, in my conversation with him, I had the opportunity to ask him a specific question: why he wanted to become a prosecutor as opposed to working with defendants. And Judge Simmons very articulately said, well, it is because that is where he could do the most good. And he explained why. He felt it was important for people like him to bring their experiences and backgrounds to the role of prosecutor, someone with an understanding for defendants with backgrounds similar to his own. Now Judge Simmons will bring his good work to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Finally, just last week, we also confirmed Judge Andrew Schopler to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Judge Schopler earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He then briefly worked as a public defender before joining a criminal defense law firm.
In 2004, he earned his spot as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of California, where he served until 2016, eventually rising to the position of deputy section chief of the Major Frauds and Special Prosecutions Unit. Given his exemplary work ethic, he was then selected to serve as magistrate judge in the Southern District.
But his service to our country extends beyond the bench. In 2014, at the age of 43, Judge Schopler chose to join the California National Guard as a judge advocate. He worked to obtain an age and medical waiver to serve. In 2018, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. He earned the Bronze Star for his service and was promoted to the rank of major.
He has committed his career to protecting our freedoms truly, at home and abroad, and I am proud this body came together to support his confirmation.
I am so grateful for all four of these newly confirmed judges' willingness to serve our country, and I know California and the country will be a stronger, more just place because of them and because of their service.
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