Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing on Four Nominations
Durbin introduced Christopher Fonzone, nominee to be Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Seth Aframe, to be United States Circuit Judge for the for the First Circuit Court of Appeals; Judge Edward Kiel, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Sarah Russell, to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut; and Christopher Fonzone, to be an Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Durbin introduced Mr. Fonzone in today’s hearing.
Key Quotes:
“Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, [Mr. Fonzone] received his undergraduate degree from Cornell, his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He then embarked on two extraordinary clerkships. He clerked first for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and then for Justice Stephen Breyer on the United States Supreme Court.”
“He began his legal career as an attorney with the Appellate Staff in the Department’s Civil Division and also served as an Attorney Adviser with the Office of Legal Counsel, and two years as a Special Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of Defense.”
“From 2013 to 2017, he held several roles in the White House, including serving as Counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office and as Legal Adviser to the National Security Council. After leaving the White House, he spent two years as a Member of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Fund at the State Department.”
“[He] completed a stint in private practice, advising clients on privacy and cybersecurity, before returning to public service. In 2021, President Biden nominated him to serve as General Counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, [and he was] confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan basis for that job.”
“[Mr. Fonzone has] an impressive dedication to public service, and I look forward to hearing more about his breadth of experience.”
The hearing continues the Committee’s work filling judicial and executive vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. Under the leadership of Chair Durbin, the Senate has confirmed 148 judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench during the Biden administration.
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
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