Senator Murray Secures Confirmation of Rebecca Pennell as U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington—Filling Nearly All of WA’s Federal Bench with[...]

With Pennell's confirmation, Senator Murray has recommended and successfully secured the votes to confirm ten federal judges from Washington state to lifetime appointments under the Biden-Harris administration-including a Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, seven District Court Judges in the Western District of Washington, and two in the Eastern District of Washington

***VIDEO of Senator Murray's Floor Speech HERE and PHOTO with Judge Pennell HERE***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who leads the federal judicial selection process for Washington state, celebrated the confirmation of Judge Rebecca Pennell to be a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Washington. Judge Pennell was confirmed by the Senate today by a vote of 50-48, to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Senator Murray recommended Judge Pennell to the White House after she was submitted to the senator for consideration by 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-for its emphasis on diversity of professional experience and background.

"Just like the other nine federal judges we have confirmed at my recommendation, Judge Pennell has been vetted and endorsed by my state's nonpartisan judicial merit selection committee," Senator Murray said on the Senate Floor last night. "A review of Judge Pennell's record-and the many letters of recommendation that came with her nomination-make it easy to see why the Committee put her name forward. In letter after letter, people from different perspectives-prosecutors, law enforcement officials, judges, and many others-describe Judge Pennell with the same high praise: 'fair,' 'insightful,' 'professional,' 'prepared.' In other words, she is a qualified and deserving pick to entrust with upholding our nation's laws and protecting our citizens' rights. I'm especially pleased to say that Judge Pennell's roots in Washington state run as deep as her impressive legal knowledge."

"It is important that we have a court system that delivers justice for everyone, not just the powerful and well-connected," Senator Murray continued. "We have to make sure every person has their rights protected, and no person is above the law. That requires a judge who carefully reviews each case on its merits, shows a deep understanding of the law, and respect for everyone who appears before them, and appreciates how their decisions will affect the lives of people across Washington state. Some of the best and brightest legal minds in Washington state have made clear they think Judge Pennell is exactly that kind of judge-and having viewed her record, I completely agree and strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm her.

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 - and since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration less than four years ago, Senator Murray has now secured the votes to confirm a total of ten federal judges from Washington state to a lifetime appointment. In addition to securing the confirmation of Rebecca Pennell and Kit Dimke to be U.S. District Court Judges for the Eastern District of Washington, Murray also successfully secured the confirmation of seven U.S. District Court judges for the Western District of Washington-Lauren King, David Estudillo, Tana Lin, John Chun, Jamal Whitehead, Kymberly Evanson, and Tiffany Cartwright-filling every single vacancy and reshaping the federal bench in both the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington. Senator Murray also secured the confirmation of Salvador Mendoza Jr. to a lifetime appointment on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

About Judge Pennell:

Judge Rebecca Pennell is a former career public defender who currently serves as a judge for Division III of the Washington Court of Appeals in Spokane. She was appointed to that position by Governor Jay Inslee in January 2016 and was reelected without opposition in 2016 and 2020. Judge Pennell grew up in Richland, WA, where her father worked at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. She attended the University of Washington for college and earned her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1996, graduating with distinction.

After law school, Judge Pennell clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Whaley in Spokane. In 1999, Judge Pennell moved to Yakima, WA after being awarded a Skadden Fellowship, where she focused on providing wrap-around legal services for children as part of an organization called TeamChild; her work at TeamChild focused on keeping high risk students in school. Judge Pennell later joined the Federal Public Defender's office, where she practiced for over 15 years as a trial lawyer and appellate counsel. In this capacity, she also represented indigent clients on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. Judge Pennell is fluent in Spanish and a significant portion of her clients in eastern Washington were Spanish speakers.

In addition to her advocacy work, Judge Pennell helped establish re-entry drug court programs in Yakima and the Tri-Cities. Judge Pennell lives in Yakima with her husband and daughter. She is committed to community service, including through participation in Rotary, the Washington State Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee, and with past service on the boards of the YWCA of Yakima and the Yakima Area Arboretum.

Senator Murray's full remarks, as delivered last night on the Senate Floor, are below:

"Mr. President, I was very proud to recommend Judge Rebecca Pennell to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Washington.

"And I was honored to introduce her at her confirmation hearing-where she demonstrated her extensive legal knowledge, and deep commitment to making sure equal justice is there for all who come to her courtroom.

"I am thrilled to rise today to strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for her confirmation.

"I want to emphasize-especially for my colleagues across the aisle-that just like the other nine federal judges we have confirmed at my recommendation, Judge Pennell has been vetted and endorsed by my state's nonpartisan judicial merit selection committee. This is a committee made up of both Democratic and Republican legal experts.

"A review of Judge Pennell's record-and the many letters of recommendation that came with her nomination-make it easy to see why the Committee put her name forward.

"In letter after letter, people from different perspectives-prosecutors, law enforcement officials, judges, and many others-describe Judge Pennell with the same high praise: 'fair,' 'insightful,' 'professional,' 'prepared.'

"In other words, she is a qualified and deserving pick to entrust with upholding our nation's laws and protecting our citizens' rights.

"I'm especially pleased to say that Judge Pennell's roots in Washington state run as deep as her impressive legal knowledge.

"She grew up in Richland, where her father worked at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. She attended the University of Washington, returned from Stanford Law to clerk for District Court Judge Whaley in Spokane, and has been an active and respected member of our state's legal community ever since.

"It is important that we have a court system that delivers justice for everyone, not just the powerful and well-connected.

"We have to make sure every person has their rights protected, and no person is above the law.

"That requires a judge who carefully reviews each case on its merits, shows a deep understanding of the law and respect for everyone who appears before them, and appreciates how their decisions will affect the lives of people across Washington state.

"Some of the best and brightest legal minds in Washington state have made clear they think Judge Pennell is exactly that kind of judge. And having viewed her record, I completely agree-and strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm her."

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