Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Madam President, I am pleased to rise today in strong support of the nomination of fellow New Yorker, Judge Denny Chin, to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Chin has a distinguished legal career, having dedicated the majority of his life to public service and education. His experience in the court room spans more than a decade as a litigator, and over 15 years as a Federal judge.

When he was 2 years old, Judge Chin moved with his parents from Hong Kong to New York, where he later attended Stuyvesant High School. Through hard work, he was able to attend Princeton University, where he received the Athlete Award from the National Football Scholarship Foundation and graduated magna cum laude. After graduating from Princeton, Judge Chin attended Fordham School of Law, where he earned his juris doctorate and became managing editor of the Fordham Law Review.

As impressive as his educational background is, Judge Chin has enjoyed an equally notable legal career in public service and private practice, beginning with a job clerking for U.S. District Judge Henry Werker in the Southern District of New York for 2 years. He then spent another 2 years at Davis Polk & Wardwell before resuming his commitment to public service at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. As a Federal prosecutor, Judge Chin honed his litigation skills by arguing cases in the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following his time at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Judge Chin went back into private practice, working as a litigator and a partner at several law firms in New York, and also as a solo practitioner, becoming a specialist in employment and commercial law.

In 1994, Judge Chin was the first Asian American appointed to Federal district court outside the Ninth Circuit, where he has served for 15 years. During his time on the bench, Judge Chin has presided over more than 4,700 civil and 650 criminal cases, issuing more than 1,500 opinions. He has served as designated judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on 84 appellate cases, of which nine decisions are his written opinions. Notably, Judge Chin presided over the high profile trial of Bernard Madoff, whom Judge Chin ultimately sentenced to 150 years in prison for defrauding billions of dollars from New Yorkers and individuals from across the United States.

Judge Chin has demonstrated a strong commitment to education and the next generation of the legal profession as a professor of law for more than 23 years at his alma mater, Fordham University's School of Law. He has contributed to legal scholarship by publishing seven law review articles and is frequent speaker at bar associations, law schools, law firms, corporations, and non-profit organizations. In 2009, he received the Professor of the Year Award from the Fordham Law School Public Interest Resource Center, and previously was awarded the Fordham Law School Alumni Association's Medal of Achievement in 2006. He currently cochairs the Fordham Law School Minority Mentor Program.

Judge Chin's dedication to public service extends to community leadership, and he is actively involved in local community and in legal associations. He is a member of the Second Circuit's bar association, the Federal Bar Council, formerly serving as the President, and currently serving on the Public Service Committee. Prior to assuming the bench, he also served on numerous community boards, including the Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment, Care for the Homeless, Hartley House, and St. Margaret's House. Upon assuming the bench, Judge Chin remained involved in his local community by becoming a member of numerous cultural organizations in New York. The outstanding dedication he demonstrated throughout his career and years of community involvement has led to numerous awards and honors--such as the J. Edward Lumbard Award for Public Service from the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Division of Human Rights.

The American Bar Association gave Judge Chin its highest rating, as he is an exceptional and highly competent judge. He has always followed a thoughtful, reasoned approach to each case, strictly adhering to the application of facts and legal precedent.

There are currently 129 judicial nominees waiting to be confirmed by this Senate. It is unfortunate that when there are such highly qualified nominees as Judge Chin, they cannot be quickly voted on so that they may begin to handle the many critically important cases that are currently pending in our Federal courts.

In conclusion, Judge Denny Chin possesses the judicial temperament, breadth of legal knowledge, and commitment to justice, civil rights, and the rule of law necessary for this appointment. He is well qualified, and I am confident that he would make an outstanding judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support his confirmation.

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