On the recordOctober 17, 2011
Mr. President, I first of all want to thank Senator Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for working with both parties to move these nominations along. I also want to thank Senator Toomey, my colleague from Pennsylvania, for his work and cooperation in moving our Pennsylvania judicial nominees forward. I am grateful for his help and cooperation. I rise to speak about Judge Cathy Bissoon, who is a daughter of Brooklyn, NY. She was born there and became a Pennsylvanian after law school. Cathy Bissoon is of Hispanic origin. Her mother was from the West Indies and her dad was from Puerto Rico. When she was 4 years old and living in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, her father was stabbed to death in a park blocks from her home. Her mother remarried and her family moved to Queens. As I mentioned before, she moved to Pittsburgh after law school. This is a remarkable American story. It is an American story of economic achievement, of overcoming obstacles, and of striving for excellence. Her educational background is stellar as well. She received her jurist doctorate degree in 1993 from Harvard Law School, after receiving her degree in political science summa cum laude in 1990 from Alfred University in Alfred, NY. A quick summary of her career is as follows: Her service as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, a position that she held in the Court's Pittsburgh division since the year 2008.…





