Nomination
Floor Speech
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Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote on the nominations of three judicial nominees to serve on the U.S. districts courts: Judge Salvador Mendoza, to serve in the Eastern District of Washington, Staci Yandle, to fill an emergency vacancy in the Southern District of Illinois, and Judge Darrin Gayles, to fill an emergency vacancy in the Southern District of Florida. Each of these nominees has the support of their home State Senators, and each was reported over a month ago with unanimous or nearly unanimous approval of members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. None of these qualified nominees deserved to be filibustered yesterday, and should be confirmed without delay.
The confirmation of these nominees will be historic milestones for diversity on the Federal bench. If confirmed, Judge Mendoza would be the first Latino to serve on the Federal bench in the Eastern District of Washington. The confirmation of Staci Yandle would make her the first African-American woman ever to serve as a Federal judge in the Southern District of Illinois, as well as the first openly gay Federal judge to serve in Illinois. And, if confirmed, Judge Gayles would be the first openly gay African-American man judge to ever serve on the Federal bench. It is important that the Federal bench reflects the diversity of the American people, and we should be proud of the progress we are making today.
Judge Salvador Mendoza has been nominated to fill a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Judge Mendoza has served since 2013 as a Washington State superior court judge in Benton and Franklin Counties. He previously served as a judge pro tempore in Benton and Franklin Counties from 2002 to 2013. In 2002, he helped start the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Drug Court program, a treatment-based program intended to be an alternative to full criminal prosecution. Before his time as a judge, he worked in private practice as the president and managing attorney of Mendoza and Johnson, P.S. from 2002 to 2013. He served as vice president at Haney and Mendoza, P.S. from 1999 to 2002. After graduating from law school, he served as assistant attorney general in the Washington State Attorney General's Office from 1997 to 1998, and as the deputy prosecuting attorney in the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office from 1998 to 1999. He has the support of his home State Senators, Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray. The Judiciary Committee reported his nomination favorably with near-unanimous bipartisan support to the full Senate on April 3, 2014.
Staci Yandle has been nominated to fill a judicial emergency vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Staci Yandle has worked since 2007 in private practice as a sole practitioner, and since 2010 as counsel for the Farrise Firm P.C. She previously served as a partner at The Rex Carr Law Firm from 2003 to 2007 and as an associate at Carr, Korein, Schlichter, Kunin, Montroy, Glass & Bogard from 1987 to 2003. She worked as an adjunct professor at the St. Louis University School of Law from 1991 to 2000, teaching courses in trial advocacy and civil practice. From 1992 to 1996, she served as a member of the Illinois Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Staci Yandle has been active in her community, providing pro bono legal services to indigent clients on issues ranging from tenant disputes to personal injury claims. She has the support of her home State Senators, Senator Durbin and Senator Kirk. The Judiciary Committee reported her nomination favorably with near-unanimous bipartisan support to the full Senate on April 3, 2014.
Judge Darrin Gayles has been nominated to fill a judicial emergency vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He has served since 2011 as a Florida State judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, and previously served as a county judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida from 2004 to 2011. Prior to becoming a judge, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida from 1999 to 2004, an assistant district counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1997 to 1999, and as an assistant State attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office from 1993 to 1997. He has the support of his home State Senators, Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio. The Judiciary Committee reported his nomination by voice vote to the full Senate on May 8, 2014.
I commend the majority leader for bringing the nominations of these three nominees up for a vote. With yesterday's cloture votes, the Senate has voted on cloture for judicial nominees 50 times so far this year. This is more than all the cloture votes on judicial nominees during the two preceding administrations combined. This level of partisanship is meritless, and only serves to weaken the Federal courts and the American justice system. I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting to confirm these qualified nominees, and allow them to get to work for the American people.
I thank the Chair and I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
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