Wyden Delivers Floor Speech on the Nomination of Jennifer Sung to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
M. President, the Senate will soon vote on President Biden’s nomination of my neighbor and fellow Oregonian Jennifer Sung to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. I’ll save everybody the suspense -- I support her nomination proudly, and I want to take a few minutes to talk about why she deserves the support of all Senators.
First, on her qualifications. Ms. Sung is a graduate of Oberlin College and Yale Law School. As a student, she volunteered to represent low-income patients at the local hospital. As a legal fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, she fought on behalf of workers who toiled in poor conditions for little pay. In private practice, she defended the rights of all people in this country to work in safe and fair conditions, to get the health care they need, and to freely exercise their Constitutional rights.
Currently Ms. Sung serves as a member of Oregon’s Employment Relations Board. That’s the board that adjudicates disputes over labor practices and employment law. She has decided more than 200 cases in that role. Ms. Sung has proven her impartiality, her diligence, and her commitment to justice. You simply cannot question her qualifications.
Second, I’ve had an opportunity to get to know Ms. Sung personally since her nomination. It struck me that we both have a family story that’s only possible here in the United States. Members of her family fled political persecution and violence in China in the 1940s. The Wydens fled Nazi terror just a few years earlier, and they barely spoke any English when they arrived in their new home.
This country provided safety and opportunity for my family and Ms. Sung’s family. I’ve always found that so many people who have that family story take a special interest in protecting the rights and freedoms Americans enjoy. That’s been a hallmark of Ms. Sung’s legal career, and it’s something that all Senators ought to support.
I’m proud to support my neighbor Jennifer Sung. She will make an excellent judge. I urge all my colleagues to support her as well.
I yield the floor.
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