UPDATED: Senator Ernst Introduces Iowa Federal District Court Nominees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, nominee for the Southern District of Iowa, and Judge Leonard Terry Strand, nominee for the Northern District of Iowa. Their respective nominations to federal district courts in Iowa will be voted on in a future Judiciary Committee hearing.
Click here or on the image below to watch.
TRANSCRIPT:
“Mr. Chair. Thank you Senator Schumer. I appreciate the hydrology report from Iowa as well as your other factoids. And I do want to congratulate all of our nominees here today as well, but specifically, why I am here in front the of the Judiciary Committee: It is my privilege today to introduce two superb nominees for the federal bench in Iowa – Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger and Judge Leonard Terry Strand.
“These two nominees have come to us as a result of an extensive search conducted by a Judicial Selection Commission formed by Chairman Grassley. This commission was comprised of experienced and respected members of Iowa’s legal community who spent countless hours reviewing applications and carefully studying the applicants’ professional history and qualifications. The Commission then made the recommendation of Judges Ebinger and Strand to Chairman Grassley, who in turn reviewed them, consulted with me, and then recommended them to the White House.
“After receiving her law degree in 2004 from Yale Law School, Judge Rebecca Ebinger commenced a well-regarded career in public service – notably serving as a law clerk to Judge Michael Joseph Melloy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Divisions of both the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa and the Southern District of Iowa.
“Since 2012, Judge Ebinger has served as a State District Judge in Iowa and remains active in a number of professional associations and community organizations. Along with Chairman Grassley, I am delighted to welcome her and her family here. Thank you very much.
“After graduating at the top of his class from the University of Iowa College of Law, Judge Leonard Strand joined the Cedar Rapids law firm Simmons, Perrine, Moyer, and Bergman, focusing his practice on employment law and commercial litigation. In addition to receiving a number of professional honors during the course of his career, he is active in a number of professional organizations and has served as both Director and President of the Northern District of Iowa Branch of the Historical Society of the United States Courts.
“In 2012, Judge Strand became a Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Iowa, a position he continues to serve in today. His family is also here with him today, and I am delighted to welcome them as well. Thank you for attending today.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for these two nominees and their impressive careers, as well as their willingness to commit to public service. Both nominees are experienced and greatly respected in the Iowa legal community. I am honored to support them for these positions, and I look forward to what I hope will be a speedy approval of their nominations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman I appreciate it.”
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