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Floor Speech

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Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise this morning to share my strong support for the judicial nominee that we are about to vote on, Judge Karoline Mehalchick. Judge Mehalchick has been nominated to serve on the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania. That is one of our three Federal judicial districts. Upon confirmation, she would sit in the Federal courthouse in my hometown of Scranton, PA, where she has already been serving with distinction for over 10 years as a Federal magistrate judge.

Born and raised in Lackawanna County, Judge Mehalchick went on to attend and graduate from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University before heading to Tulane Law School in Louisiana.

Fortunately for Pennsylvania, Judge Mehalchick returned home after graduation and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Trish Corbett on the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County. From there, she worked as an associate and partner at the law firm of Oliver Price & Rhodes in Scranton, before being appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in July of 2013.

In 2021, she was appointed chief U.S. magistrate judge in the Middle District, and upon her appointment, the then-chief judge of the Middle District Court, Judge John Jones III, commented that she has been an ``exemplary and hardworking jurist'' and that he had ``every confidence that she will . . . serve with distinction.'' I think his confidence was well placed, based upon her service.

Judge Jones, the then-chief judge of the Middle District, was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate some 20 years ago.

Judge Mehalchick has proved to be a strong leader in both the Middle District and across the Nation, during her time on the bench. She has served as cochair of the Middle District's Prisoner Litigation Settlement Program and presided over the Scranton CARE court. She has also served on the magistrate judges' advisory group of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and was appointed in 2021 by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct.

Her reputation and commitment to the Middle District are further highlighted by the numerous letters of support that she has received from fellow members of the judiciary. The former chief, Judge Jones, as I mentioned earlier, in another statement of support, spoke of Judge Mehalchick's ``exemplary character,'' her hard work, impressive temperament, ``brilliant'' writing, and dedication to the rule of law. This former chief judge further wrote:

The greatest appellation that I can award to a fellow jurist is that she is a ``judge's judge.'' This fits Judge Mehalchick perfectly.

Another retired judge, Thomas Vanaskie, who served on both the District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said as follows:

[Judge Mehalchick] has the legal acumen, personal discipline, exceptional work ethic, sense of fairness, and compassion to be an outstanding member of the Federal judiciary.

Her nomination has garnered support even beyond the legal community throughout Pennsylvania. The president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Bob Durkin, wrote about the ``first-rate judiciary of the Middle District'' and highlighted how Judge Mehalchick ``has been a critical player in this institution,'' and that her confirmation ``will further strengthen and bring honor to that bench.''

Judge Mehalchick has dedicated her career to the people--the people-- of the Middle District, from her legal practice and judicial service to her community work with organizations such as the Ballet Theatre of Scranton.

Throughout her legal career and particularly during the past decade, sitting as a U.S. magistrate judge, she has undoubtedly demonstrated that she has the temperament and experience to faithfully serve the people of the Middle District.

I am pleased that the Senate is moving forward with her confirmation vote today. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on her confirmation.

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