Nomination of John A. Houston, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California

NOMINATION OF JOHN A. HOUSTON, OF CALIFORNIA, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to offer my support for the nominee for the Southern District Court of California, John Houston.

I wish to emphasize the excellent process that we have in place to select district court nominees in California.

In a truly bipartisan fashion, the White House Counsel, Senator Feinstein and I worked together to create four judicial advisory committees for the State of California, one in each federal judicial district in the state.

Each committee has a membership of six individuals: three appointed by the White House, and three appointed jointly by
Senator Feinstein and me. Each member's vote counts equally, and a majority is necessary for recommendation of a candidate.

This nominee was reviewed by the Southern District Committee and strongly recommended for this position. I continue to support this bipartisan selection process and the high quality nominees it has produced.

Judge Houston had extensive experience as a federal prosecutor before his appointment as a magistrate judge in San Diego.

I was delighted to meet Judge Houston and his family during his Judiciary Committee hearing in September and wish them all the very best.

The Southern District will benefit greatly from the exemplary services of Judge Houston, and I fully support confirmation of this nominee.