10.21.21

Cantwell Applauds Confirmation of Tana Lin to the US District Court for the Western District of Washington

Cantwell spoke on Senate floor immediately prior to Lin’s confirmation vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) spoke on the Senate floor in support of Tana Lin’s confirmation for the US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Lin was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 52-45.

“Western Washington has one of the largest populations of Asian Americans in our country, and it is important that our federal bench reflects the diversity of our state. As an Asian American woman, the barriers Ms. Lin faced have inspired her to fight for equal justice and access to promote diversity within the legal field.” said Senator Cantwell. “She is extremely well qualified and I urge my colleagues to support her.”

At the beginning of 2021, Cantwell recommended that the Biden administration nominate Lin to the federal court. In April, following President Biden’s nomination, Cantwell said that Lin is a “highly-qualified [nominee] that reflect[s] the diversity we need on our federal bench.”

Lin has over sixteen years of litigation experience, including labor and civil rights cases. She started her legal career as a public defender and served as a Senior Trial Attorney with both the U.S .Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. While there, she played an important role enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

Lin is supported by a long list of legal professional organizations, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the ACLU of Washington, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, the Michigan Poverty Law Program, People for the American Way, and Alliance for Justice.  Lin is currently Of Counsel at a Seattle law firm and a cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Washington.

Video of Senator Cantwell’s remarks is available HERE, audio is available HERE, and a full transcript is available HERE.

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