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Executive Session Nomination of Lonny R. Suko, to be United States District Judge, for the Eastern District of Washington

Date: July 15, 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Judicial Branch

EXECUTIVE SESSION

NOMINATION OF LONNY R. SUKO, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE, FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

    Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I am very pleased that the Senate will be acting today to confirm Lonny Suko as a District Court Judge for Eastern Washington.

    Lonny Suko is extremely well qualified. He has been a full-time Federal magistrate judge in Yakima, WA, since 1995. And before that he was a part-time magistrate judge from 1971 until 1991. With 28 years of experience on the Federal bench, elevating him to be a Federal district court judge is a natural step.

    Lonny Suko's nomination is the result of the hard work of an eastern Washington-based judicial selection committee. The selection committee process was negotiated between the White House, Senator MURRAY, and myself. Six qualified members of the legal community in Eastern Washington selected by our local Members of Congress and by Senator MURRAY and myself put in long hours interviewing and selecting three qualified candidates to send to the President. The White House agreed with my judgment that Lonny Suko was the most qualified candidate for this position.

    Prior to his full-time work as a U.S. magistrate judge, Lonny Suko was also a partner in the firm of Lyon, Weigand & Suko, where his career in private practice involved extensive representation of plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation as well as extensive mediation experience. Though he has lived in Yakima for the past 30 years, Mr. Suko has connections throughout eastern Washington. He is originally from Spokane, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Washington State University in Pullman, and started his legal career as a clerk to Judge Charles L. Powell, who was then the Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane.

    We wish Judge Suko well in his new position and have confidence that he will be an excellent addition to our distinguished Federal bench.

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