Alex Padilla: “I rise to speak on behalf of a few Federal judge nominees from the State of California. In recognizing that, right now…”

“I rise to speak on behalf of a few Federal judge nominees from the State of California. In recognizing that, right now, many Americans are certainly following the news and the potential news of the Federal judiciary and are focusing on a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I certainly look forward to hearing more from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson next week as we conduct her confirmation hearing. The choices for the Supreme Court are certainly critical for the future of our democracy, but the fact of the matter is--and the Presiding Officer knows I like numbers and knows I like data. So the important data point here is that it is only a tiny percentage of cases in our Federal court system that actually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, more than 90 percent of the Federal cases are decided at the district court level. That means the vast majority of people who interface with the Federal judiciary will only ever meet a district court judge, sitting on the other side of the bench, whether they are witnesses to a crime, whether they are parties to a lawsuit or defendants in a criminal case. That is one of the primary reasons I have worked so closely with the Biden administration in helping to identify and recommend and support talented nominees for California's district courts. Today, I rise to highlight three nominees to serve as Federal judges whose confirmation processes we are beginning today.”