SENATOR HUTCHISON SUPPORTS THE NOMINATION OF JUDGE JENNIFER ELROD TO SERVE ON THE FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

Back in July, I was proud to introduce Judge Elrod, a fellow Texan, at her Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Judge Elrod is a highly accomplished judicial nominee, with a distinguished record as a state court judge and as a practicing attorney. I am confident she will capably serve as a federal appelate judge for the Fifth Circuit.

Judge Elrod has shown her judicial capability in the 190th District Court in Houston, TX, where she currently presides. At present, she manaages a docket of over 1,000 cases, and leads all Harris County civil district judges in the number of jury cases tried to verdict since 2005.

Prior to serving on the bench, Judge Elrod practiced at Baker Botts LLP, a top national firm, where she worked for 8 years on litigation matters including antitrust, employment law, commercial litigation, toxic tort, general civil litigation, and personal injury defense. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sim Lake in the Southern District of Texas.

Judge Elrod's outstanding intellect is evidenced by her exceptional academic credentials, graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School, and magna cum laude with distinction from Baylor University in Texas.

Judge Elrod has long been dedicated to pro bono service and charitable causes, and she is the former chair of the Gulf Coast Legal Foundation, the largst provider of pro bono legal assistance to indigent people in the Texas gulf coast region. She was recently commended by the Texas Access to Justice Commission for her service in facilitating the advocacy skills of lawyers who represent poor and low income Texans.

Judge Elrod has also been an active member in both the Texas State Bar and the Houston Bar Association, with particular service in the areas of Continuing Legal Education and the Administration of Justice.

She is two-time recipient of the President's Award fo Outstanding Service to the Houston Bar Association, and she was awarded the outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston in 2004 by the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

I am honored to support the confirmation of Judge Jennifer Elrod because she meets the high standards to which we hold all judicial nominees.

She has an impressive record of public service, work ethic, integrity, and she will bring great honor to the Federal bench. I encourage my colleagues to approve her nomination. We must also fill the other two vacancies on the Fifth Circuit.

The President has nominated two highly accomplished individuals, Catharina Haynes, and Leslie Southwick, to fill those vacancies--and they deserve a fair and speedy confirmation process.

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