Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Four District Court Judges
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Bridget Meehan Brennan, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; John H. Chun, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington; Charles Esque Fleming, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; and David Augustin Ruiz, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio.
Brennan received a vote of 16-6; Chun received a vote of 12-10; Fleming received a vote of 13-9; and Ruiz received a vote of 14-8.
Key Durbin quotes on today’s district court nominees:
“[Ms. Brennan’s] been a litigator for two decades, and for the majority of her career, she has been Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. She’s prosecuted a range of matters from human and sex trafficking, to money laundering, to civil rights. As testament to her experience and skills, Ms. Brennan was named Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in January 2021.”
“[Judge Chun] has served the Washington state judiciary since 2014—as [a] judge on the King County Superior Court, and for the past three years as a judge on the Washington Court of Appeals… Notably, since his clerkship with the Honorable Eugene Wright for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Chun—a Pacific Northwest native himself—has spent his entire legal career practicing in the district to which he has been nominated.”
“Extensive litigation experience. Proven commitment to equal justice… [Mr. Fleming’s] time as a federal public defender has given him a remarkable breadth of courtroom experience. He appears in court 15 to 20 times each month. He has tried 17 cases to verdict… the ABA has unanimously rated him ‘Well Qualified.’”
“For more than five years, [Judge Ruiz] served as U.S. Magistrate in the same court [to which he’s been nominated]… Senator Portman praised Judge Ruiz’s nomination, stating [his] ‘experience, temperament, and high ethical standards have served him well as federal magistrate judge.’ Once confirmed, Judge Ruiz will be the first judge of Hispanic origin in Ohio’s history to serve as an Article III federal judge.”
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.
-30-