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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Nicole Berner to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

After receiving her B.A., M.P.P., and J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Ms. Berner clerked for the Hon. Betty Binns Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Hon. Thelton E. Henderson on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

After several years in private practice, Ms. Berner served as a staff attorney at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, litigating cases to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare.

Since 2006, she has worked at the Service Employees International Union--SEIU--currently serving as general counsel. At the SEIU, she has worked on a range of matters, including cases arising under labor and employment laws and regulations, as well as advising on legal claims involving criminal law, voting rights, Federal preemption, antitrust, bankruptcy, and immigration.

Ms. Berner has the strong support from her home State Senators, Mr. Cardin and Mr. Van Hollen. In addition, she received a ``well qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association.

Ms. Berner will be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and will bring professional diversity as a lawyer with expertise in representing employees and labor organizations. Ms. Berner's breadth and depth of experience demonstrates that she is eminently qualified to serve on the bench.

I urge my colleagues to support Ms. Berner's nomination.

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