Hearings to examine the nominations of Sheria Akins Clarke, to be United States District Judge for t... Show more

Senate 119th · March 25, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 106 · Scheduled

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Witnesses (5) Show all +
Nominee for US District Judge for District of South Carolina
Nominee for Federal Trial Judge for US District of Montana
Nominee for District Judge of District Court of Virgin Islands
Nominee for District Judge of District of Iowa
Grassley, Chuck: and a number of people here. Good morning. Welcome everyone. Today's hearing will involve Sharia Clark, District of South Carolina, Kathleen Lane, District of Montana, Evan Rickey, District of Virgin Islands, and Kara Westerkamp to the Court of International Trade. Today's nominees boast a diverse set of backgrounds. Each has extensive litigation experience, but their career paths reflect varying practices that are uniquely tailored to the courts for which they've been nominated. Before we turn to our visitors to introduce Ms. Lane and Ms. Clark, I'll introduce two of our nominees. Their nominations are to the court that this committee does not consider too frequently, like the District of Virgin Islands and the Court of International Trade. Mr. Rickey earned his law degree from American University, working with the Federal Election Commission before spending the bulk of his career with the Justice Department. In 2004, Mr. Rickey began as an attorney advisor with the Office of Legal Policy. He helped prepare federal judicial nominees for confirmation, including Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. In 2006, he transitioned into a litigation role. He spent two years as a trial attorney with the criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Thereafter, he spent a decade and a half as a federal prosecutor in a pair of U.S. attorneys' offices, including the District of Virgin Islands. He investigated and prosecuted a wide array of criminal offenses and diligently protected victims of fraud, drug trafficking, and violent crimes. He also briefly worked on detail as an attorney advisor to two U.S. embassies. In 2024, Mr. Rickey has since then has served as a senior counsel with Walmart, leading the company's internal investigations. Mr. Rickey is an accomplished attorney with significant experience protecting the people of the Virgin Islands, and I look forward to hearing from him today. Now, I'm fortunate to have a native Iowan with me, Ms. Westerkamp. She received her undergraduate law degrees at the University of Iowa. After law school, Ms. Westerkamp clerked for Judge John Garvey on the U.S. District Court, a southern district of Iowa. 2011, she went into private practice at Jones Day. She litigated insurance recovery, security regulation, and financial disputes. Since 2014, Ms. Westerkamp transitioned to public service as a trial attorney with the National Court Section of the Justice Department's Civil Division. In that role, she defended federal agencies and lawsuits before and appeals arriving out of the United States Court of International Trade. Her expertise in matters before the court is unparalleled. Ms. Westerkamp litigated trade disputes until late last year when she transitioned into the White House Counsel's Office. Needless to say, Ms. Westerkamp is highly qualified to serve as a judge on the Court of International Trade, and I look forward to hearing from her today. I'd ask everyone to keep their questions limited to five minutes, allotted to keep the hearing on schedule. Senator Durbin.

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