State of the Union Address by President Donald J. Trump February 5th, 2019
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Murray Works to Confirm Washington Judge James Robart

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(Washington, D.C.) Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray worked to confirm James “Jim” Robart to be a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington State. Murray worked with Senator Cantwell and White House to nominate Mr. Robart, and today Murray introduced him before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Murray’s remarks follow:


Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. I’m honored today to introduce Jim Robart to this committee. For more than 30 years, he has been a respected and important part of the Seattle legal community. Senator Cantwell and I worked with President Bush to select him from a list of very qualified candidates, and today I am proud to offer my full support for his speedy confirmation.

I want to especially welcome his wife and friends. His wife, Mari Jalbing, long-time friend, Douglas Adkins, and Mr. Adkins daughter, Blakely Adkins, who are all Washington state residents. Jim and Mari have been foster parents to six children, and while they could not join us in person today, I know they share the pride that so many in my state feel on Jim’s nomination.

Mr. Chairman, I’ve met with Jim Robart, and I’ve been impressed by his professionalism, his decency and his experience. After more than 30 years of distinguished legal service, he is ready to be confirmed as the next U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington state. And I can tell you that he has the strong support of a wide group of attorneys and community leaders throughout Washington state. There are many things I could say about Jim Robart.

I could tell you about his education. He earned an undergraduate degree at Whitman College – graduating magna cum laude – and he got his law degree at Georgetown University.

I could tell you about his 30-plus years of private practice. He’s currently the Managing Partner at Lane Powell Spears Lubersky, and is an expert in complex litigation. He was the lead counsel in a constitutional challenge on a Washington initiative that would have required all state residents to vote on all tax increases. The Washington State Supreme Court found the initiative unconstitutional.

He has also handled several other important cases in my home state, including many energy cases and disputes regarding intellectual property. He has received a unanimous “well qualified” rating by the American Bar Association.

I could tell you about his generous sense of community service through his work with at-risk and special-needs youth. I could tell you about his extensive work with the Seattle Children’s Home, which offers mental health services and special education for Seattle’s most at-risk youth. I could tell you about his association with Children Home Society of Washington, which is renowned for providing parenting skills statewide to many troubled families. And of course I could mention Jim and Mari’s dedication as foster parents to six children.

I could mention all of those things, but they only provide glimpses into a man whose professionalism, fairness, thoughtfulness and compassion set a great example for so many people in our state. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to introduce Jim Robart to this Committee, and I urge his speedy confirmation.

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