At today's Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) questioned Embry J. Kidd, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, about his record.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Well, I had a birthday a couple months ago.
00:03 I'm just thinking, is that a jab?
00:05 (laughing)
00:08 Thank you, Mr. Chair.
00:09 And congratulations, Judge Kidd.
00:11 You're gonna be able to tell pretty easily
00:14 that we are the two centers representing California
00:16 because we both enjoy emphasizing the value of diversity
00:21 in this committee and in our questions of nominees
00:23 that come before us.
00:24 So I appreciate listening to the conversation
00:27 I walked in on about the diverse perspectives
00:31 that are important to have on the bench,
00:33 firm believer and a cheerleader for diversity on the bench,
00:39 not just because I think it improves the work product
00:43 of the federal judiciary when there are people
00:46 with a wide variety of both life
00:49 and professional experiences that feed into
00:53 the deliberations and the decisions.
00:55 But in addition to that, I think as we're working
00:58 to restore public confidence in the federal judiciary,
01:02 we'll leave the Supreme Court alone here for a minute,
01:04 but at all levels.
01:07 And so coming into this process with that mindfulness,
01:11 not just what of what you and your potential service
01:15 would represent, but I heard your mention
01:18 about expanding the opportunities and access for clerkships,
01:24 because you know how important clerkships can be
01:26 for young attorneys as they're beginning their careers,
01:29 whether it's in public service
01:31 or in the private sector and beyond.
01:34 So I heard a couple of the ideas that you mentioned.
01:36 I don't know if there's any others of what you would do
01:38 if you're fortunate enough to be confirmed
01:39 to continue to broaden that reach and diversity
01:42 for clerks in your courtroom.
01:44 - Yes, Senator.
01:46 So in addition to what I spoke about earlier,
01:50 I do believe that there are things that we can do
01:53 to improve the pipeline.
01:56 Pipeline, I think, is part of the problem,
02:01 the issue that can be addressed.
02:02 So I have participated in several pipeline programs
02:06 that are developed to address the pipeline.
02:14 The Administrative Office of the Federal Courts
02:15 had one a year or two ago about magistrate judges,
02:19 and it was really to inform lawyers, law students
02:24 about the process of becoming a magistrate judge
02:26 to kind of pull the curtain back a little bit
02:31 on that process and to encourage people
02:33 who might not otherwise think of themselves
02:35 as someone who could be a magistrate judge
02:38 to give that a second thought
02:40 and provide resources for them
02:42 and an opportunity to speak to current magistrate judges.
02:45 So in that way, addressing school groups the same way,
02:49 law schools especially, I think,
02:52 is another way to address that problem
02:54 of just putting in law students' minds
02:58 the idea that that is something that they want to do
03:00 so that we then have a better pool of applicants
03:03 to draw from.
03:04 - Look, I'm a big believer in those pipeline programs,
03:09 as you call them, or outreach programs,
03:11 as I understood them.
03:13 I am not an attorney.
03:15 I'm an engineer.
03:16 And if it wasn't for those outreach programs,
03:19 when I was in high school,
03:20 I don't think I would have thought of it
03:23 or certainly achieved it.
03:25 So there's a lot of value there.
03:27 In the time remaining,
03:28 I'm gonna sort of flip the script a little bit on you
03:31 because we've already talked about diversity
03:35 and ideas on how to do better outreach here.
03:38 So for those aspiring lawyers watching at home,
03:43 for that young person, maybe a law student,
03:45 maybe an undergrad, maybe a high school student,
03:47 or even younger, with a little bit of an idea or a dream
03:52 of maybe someday becoming a federal judge,
03:56 share with us and share with them
03:58 what inspired you to pursue this career path.
04:01 - Thanks for that, Senator.
04:03 I am not someone who grew up in a family of lawyers.
04:08 We grew up in a working-class family.
04:14 It was a great family, but no lawyers in my family.
04:16 So it's not something that I thought about
04:18 when I was going through high school
04:21 or really even until about junior year of college
04:24 when I took a course on constitutional law,
04:27 which I thought was really fascinating
04:29 and I developed a relationship with that professor.
04:32 And then at that point, I decided to go to law school.
04:36 So it was really that point that I decided
04:41 that law was something that I was interested in.
04:44 And in terms of being a judge,
04:47 I would say my clerkship with Judge Gregory
04:49 on the Fourth Circuit was instrumental in that.
04:51 Again, I did not have judges in my family growing up.
04:54 So seeing him and how he approached the law
04:57 and the importance to him of being in the community
05:00 and community service as a judge
05:03 and working with him behind the scenes in each case,
05:08 that's what really inspired me to someday think
05:10 that I myself might wanna be a judge one day.
05:14 So I would encourage anyone who has an inkling
05:17 of going to law school to talk to people,
05:21 develop those types of relationships with their professors,
05:24 if they know any judges,
05:25 and if they do decide to go to law school,
05:30 give clerking a thought.
05:32 - Well, two great lessons today,
05:34 the value of pipeline programs
05:36 and the value of mentorship.
05:38 - Absolutely. - Thank you.
05:39 Thank you, Mr. Chair.
05:40 - Thanks, Senator Padilla.
05:43 - Senator Blackburn, we'll give you a moment
05:45 to compose yourself.
05:47 - Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:50 I appreciate that.
05:52 Judge Kidd, I...