Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor to applaud the recent confirmations of three California judges to federal courts. Judge Ana de Alba will serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judges Kenly Kiya Kato and Mónica Ramírez Almadani will serve on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The appointments marked more than 150 federal judges, including over 100 women, confirmed to the federal bench in just the first three years of the Biden presidency. More women have been confirmed to the federal bench under President Biden than in any other president’s first term.

In his remarks, Padilla celebrated this accomplishment and commemorated his partnership with the late Senator Dianne Feinstein in recommending judicial nominees to President Biden, including nominees confirmed this past week.

Key Excerpts:

• I rise today to celebrate a historic milestone for this body and for our country. Last week, as many people know, we confirmed the 150th federal judge nominated by President Biden, and the 100th woman nominated to the federal bench — all in just the first three years of the Biden presidency.
• It’s a testament to the seriousness with which President Biden and Senate Democrats have taken not only to our role in strengthening the federal judiciary with highly qualified candidates, but to do so while building the federal bench to better reflect the diverse nation that it serves.
• As the daughter of Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II, Judge Kato understands personally the importance of equal justice under law. Time and again, she’s demonstrated her commitment to equal justice as a magistrate judge — a commitment I’m confident she will now continue on the U.S. District Court for the Central District.
• Whether defending low-income immigrant clients, or in her capacity representing the United States government at the Department of Justice, [Ms. Ramírez Almadani] has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
• I was proud to come to the floor in June of last year to urge my colleagues to confirm [Judge de Alba’s] nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California — which we did on a bipartisan basis. In the time since then, Judge de Alba has more than proven herself to be a qualified jurist, and she is exactly the public servant Americans deserve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Every member of this body accepts a considerable responsibility when we enter office: to advise and ultimately recommend to the president nominees who will make up our federal judiciary. As a former ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, no one took that responsibility more seriously than our late colleague, Senator Feinstein.
• Today, these three women — these nominees that round out the 150th confirmation of the Biden presidency — are just as much her accomplishments as they are ours.

Video of Padilla’s remarks can be found here.

Padilla’s remarks, as delivered, are available below:

Mr. President,

I rise today to celebrate a historic milestone for this body and for our country.

Last week, as many people know, we confirmed the 150th federal judge nominated by President Biden, and the 100th woman nominated to the federal bench — all in just the first three years of the Biden presidency.

More women have been confirmed to the federal bench under President Biden than under any president in the history of our country in their first term.

It’s a testament to the seriousness with which President Biden and Senate Democrats have taken not only to our role in strengthening the federal judiciary with highly qualified candidates, but to do so while building the federal bench to better reflect the diverse nation that it serves.

Today, I want to take a moment to recognize three women recently confirmed by the Senate who I’m confident will now serve with distinction.

First, last week the Senate confirmed Judge Kenly Kiya Kato to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Judge Kato was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her undergraduate degrees from UCLA and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

One of her earliest jobs out of law school was in the Central District’s Federal Public Defender’s Office, where she represented hundreds of clients at the district and circuit court level, helping to realize the constitutional right to counsel — regardless of income.

And after nearly two decades of work in California, in 2014, she was appointed to be a federal Magistrate Judge.

As the daughter of Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II, Judge Kato understands personally the importance of equal justice under law.

Time and again, she’s demonstrated her commitment to equal justice as a magistrate judge — a commitment I’m confident she will now continue on the U.S. District Court for the Central District.

Last week we also confirmed Mónica Ramírez Almadani to the U.S. District Court for the Central District.

Born in Los Angeles as the proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico, Ms. Ramírez Almadani is a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She went on to earn her A.B. from Harvard University and her J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Now from the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project to the Immigrants Rights Clinic at the UC Irvine School of Law — from the California Department of Justice to the United States Department of Justice, throughout her career, she’s gathered extensive experience across the wide spectrum of civil and criminal law.

And since 2021, she’s served as President and CEO of Public Counsel — the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the country.

Whether defending low-income immigrant clients, or in her capacity representing the United States government at the Department of Justice, she has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.

And now, I’m confident that she will serve the people of the Central District on the U.S. District Court with distinction.

And finally, I celebrate Monday’s confirmation of Judge Ana de Alba to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, Judge de Alba grew up in a family of farm workers.

A first-generation high school graduate, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree and her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

After graduating, she built a successful career in private practice in the Central Valley, where she focused on complex commercial litigation and maintained a robust pro bono practice.

She also went on to establish a Worker’s Rights Clinic for low wage workers to learn their rights and to seek legal advice.

In 2018, Judge de Alba was appointed to serve as a Superior Court Judge for Fresno County, where she served until 2022.

I was proud to come to the floor in June of last year to urge my colleagues to confirm her nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California — which we did on a bipartisan basis.

In the time since then, Judge de Alba has more than proven herself to be a qualified jurist, and she is exactly the public servant Americans deserve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. President,

Every member of this body accepts a considerable responsibility when we enter office: to advise and ultimately recommend to the president nominees who will make up our federal judiciary.

As a former ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, no one took that responsibility more seriously than our late colleague, Senator Feinstein.

I had the great fortune of working alongside Senator Feinstein to recommend to President Biden some of the nominees that we’ve confirmed this past week.

And today, these three women — these nominees that round out the 150th confirmation of the Biden presidency — are just as much her accomplishments as they are ours.

Thank you, Mr. President, and with that, I yield the floor.

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