-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I am pretty sure I am joining my colleague from Washington, who probably just spoke on the same subject, but I come to the floor to support the nominations of two very exceptional nominees to serve as judges for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Kimberly Evanson, born and raised in our State, grew up in Grays Harbor County before attending Tacoma High School in Tacoma. She attended Seattle University and went on to graduate from Georgetown University Law Center.

Nearly her entire legal career has been spent in the Western District of Washington and the district in which she will serve, if confirmed. She has nearly 15 years of experience with constitutional and Federal law procedure, making her--as the American Bar Association said-- ``well-qualified'' for the Federal bench.

Ms. Evanson has dedicated her free time to supporting her community through volunteer work, and since 2013, she has been a regular volunteer with the Western District of Washington's Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic. There, she provides legal advice to King and Pierce County residents who face employment discrimination, disability, housing, prison misconduct, and excessive force claims.

Ms. Evanson's commitment to ensuring legal services and counsel is available to all, regardless of income, shows her dedication to a fair and inclusive justice system.

I urge my colleagues to confirm Ms. Evanson to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington without delay.

I also want to urge my colleagues to vote to confirm Tiffany Cartwright for the Western District of Washington. This is a historic nomination. If confirmed, Ms. Cartwright would be the first woman to serve as Federal district judge from the Tacoma courthouse.

Ms. Cartwright is a proud Washingtonian who grew up in Kitsap County and attended Central Kitsap High School. She went on to earn a bachelor of arts from Stanford University in 2007 and a juris doctorate from Stanford Law School.

Ms. Cartwright is extremely experienced in our court system. She has served as a law clerk in the Alaska State Supreme Court and has served as a Federal law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. Cartwright currently serves as a civil rights attorney in Seattle, where her practice focuses on police misconduct and gender discrimination. In addition to her work as a civil rights attorney, Ms. Cartwright serves on the Local Rules Committee for the Federal Bar Association.

Ms. Cartwright has made it a priority to improve the accessibility of the courts. In her free time, she has served as pro bono counsel for cases involving women's and LGBTQ+ rights. And at the Seattle law firm where she works, she has developed a successful fellowship program to draw a diverse range of applicants to the firm and help reduce bias in the workforce.

A real champion for her community and civil rights, she would make an outstanding addition to the district court in the Western District of Washington. And again, I urge my colleagues to vote to confirm Tiffany Cartwright for the Western District of Washington.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source