WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today praised the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to approve Paula Xinis to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division, located in Greenbelt. Senators Mikulski and Cardin recommended Ms. Xinis to President Obama for this position on the federal bench. The nomination of Ms. Xinis, who is currently a partner at the Baltimore firm Murphy Falcon & Murphy, now moves to the full Senate for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.

“I commend the Senate Judiciary Committee for reporting Ms. Xinis out of committee. Her deep roots in the Maryland legal community and strong respect for the rule of law make her an ideal nominee,” said Senator Cardin. “The need for well-qualified judges like Ms. Xinis on benches across the nation is urgent. I hope that my colleagues will help keep our justice system running smoothly by quickly voting to confirm Ms. Xinis and many other qualified nominees waiting for a vote before the full Senate.”

“I applaud the committee’s vote to approve the nomination of Paula Xinis to serve on the U.S. District Court of Maryland, and was proud to recommend her for the job,” Senator Mikulski said. “When I consider nominees for the federal bench, I have four criteria: absolute integrity, judicial competence and temperament; a commitment to core constitutional principles; and a history of civic engagement in Maryland. Paula Xinis not only meets these standards, she exceeds them. Maryland deserves to have highly qualified judges who will uphold the law to provide equal justice for all, and we have that in her.”

If confirmed, Ms. Xinis will occupy the seat formerly held by Judge Deborah Chasanow, who took senior status in October 2014.

MS. PAULA XINIS

Paula Xinis, of University Park, Maryland, joined the law firm of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy in Baltimore in 2011 as a senior trial attorney and became a partner in 2013. At Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, Xinis practices both civil and criminal litigation. Previously, Xinis served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Maryland from 1998 to 2011, where she also served as the Director of Training for the office from 2006 to 2011. Xinis began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. She received her J.D. in 1997 from Yale Law School and her B.A. with highest distinction in 1991 from the University of Virginia.

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