***WATCH VIDEO OF SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE***
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and spoke in strong support of her nomination to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington.
Senator Murray recommended Judge Bjelkengren to President Biden after she was recommended to the Senator for consideration by Senator Murray’s nonpartisan judicial merit selection committee for the Eastern District of Washington. Senator Murray’s process for recommending candidates for the federal bench has been lauded as a national model for senators to replicate due to its emphasis on diversity of professional experience and background.
“Judge Bjelkengren is an exceptional nominee, and I am confident she will serve the people of Washington state with distinction—because that’s exactly what she has done throughout her career,” said Senator Murray. “From her work as an Assistant Attorney General in Washington state, to her time as an administrative law judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings, to her appointment to the Spokane County Superior Court in 2019, Judge Bjelkengren has over two decades of experience serving the people of Washington state, working thoughtfully through tough legal questions that affect their daily lives, and ensuring we have a justice system that treats people fairly and works for everyone—not just the powerful and well-connected. And I, like many of you on both sides of the aisle, believe the American people deserve a judiciary that reflects the diversity of this country.”
Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren currently serves on the Spokane County Superior Court and was the first African American woman judge in Eastern Washington when she was nominated in 2019. If confirmed, she would also become the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Previously, Bjelkengren served as a senior administrative law judge in the Spokane Valley Office of Administrative Hearings. In that role, she held hearings involving the Employment Security Department and the Department of Social and Health Services and oversaw a team of administrative law judges. Bjelkengren worked for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in Spokane and, as an assistant attorney general, she represented several state agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Licensing, and Employment Security Department. While at the Attorney General’s office, she also worked on a variety of issues including child care licensing, civil commitments, unemployment compensation, and higher education. She attended Minnesota State University and Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, WA.
Senator Murray has been a strong advocate for the confirmation of highly-qualified judicial nominees who reflect the diversity of communities in Washington state and America, pushing for greater professional diversity on the federal bench in particular.
Last Congress, Senator Murray secured the lifetime appointments of five highly qualified candidates as federal district court judges in Washington state and one nominee to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She successfully secured the confirmations of Tana Lin, Washington state’s first ever Asian American federal judge and a former public defender and civil rights lawyer; Lauren King, a tribal law expert who is serving as Washington state’s first ever Native American federal judge; John Chun, who is the first Asian American man to serve as a federal judge in Washington state; David Estudillo, the son of Mexican immigrants and a former immigration attorney; and Kit Dimke, who is serving in the Eastern District of Washington. Senator Murray also secured the lifetime appointment of Salvador Mendoza Jr. to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Mendoza is the son of Mexican immigrants who worked as farm laborers, maids, and factory workers—and as a child, he worked as a farmworker himself.
Senator Murray is also pushing to confirm Tiffany Cartwright, a leading civil rights lawyer, Jamal Whitehead, the Biden Administration’s first nominee with a disability to the federal bench, and Kymberly Evanson to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Senator Murray’s full remarks as prepared for today’s committee hearing are below:
“Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the committee, it is my privilege to introduce Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren: President Biden’s nominee to serve as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, who I was so glad to recommend.
“I’m also pleased to welcome her mother LaVonne, her sister Carissa, and her aunt Brenda who are with her today.
“I know you all are very proud—and you should be!
“Judge Bjelkengren is an exceptional nominee, and I am confident she will serve the people of Washington state with distinction—because that’s exactly what she has done throughout her career.
“From her work as an Assistant Attorney General in Washington state, to her time as an administrative law judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings, to her appointment to the Spokane County Superior Court in 2019, Judge Bjelkengren has over two decades of experience serving the people of Washington state, working thoughtfully through tough legal questions that affect their daily lives, and ensuring we have a justice system that treats people fairly and works for everyone—not just the powerful and well-connected.
“And I, like many of you on both sides of the aisle, believe the American people deserve a judiciary that reflects the diversity of this country.
“Judge Bjelkengren would be the first Black federal judge to serve in the Eastern District of Washington state—and that matters.
“I was proud to recommend Judge Bjelkengren to President Biden—at the suggestion of my nonpartisan judicial merit selection panel, who was equally impressed by her temperament, sound judgement, and impressive resume.
“I’m proud to be introducing her to the Committee today, and I look forward to having her experience, values, and perspective on the federal bench.”
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