Jeanne Shaheen: “I am really pleased to join my colleague Senator Hassan to speak in support of Samantha Elliott's nomination to the…”

“I am really pleased to join my colleague Senator Hassan to speak in support of Samantha Elliott's nomination to the Federal District Court for the District of New Hampshire. As we heard from Senator Hassan, Samantha Elliott has had an amazing public service career. Her professional experience and commitment to ensuring equal access to justice make her eminently qualified to serve on the Federal bench. She will make an excellent addition to the Federal district court in New Hampshire. Now, Samantha actually came to the practice of law in a less traditional way. She started out first as a writer for magazines before she and her husband flipped a coin to see who would go to law school. After graduating from Columbia Law School--she obviously won the toss-- she joined Gallagher, Callahan and Gartrell, a law firm in Concord, our capital city. Since becoming an attorney, Samantha has litigated before Federal and State courts, handling an impressive collection of matters that involves complex areas of law. She has also served in a variety of leadership positions at her firm, including serving as president for 5 years. During the selection process, Samantha always came back to the importance of equal access to justice, saying at one point: ``No one closes or opens doors to access to justice like a judge does.'' Samantha knows firsthand, through her extensive work with the New Hampshire legal aid community, just how correct that saying is.…”