Chairman Richard Durbin
Ranking Member Charles Grassley
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-6050
Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley:
The AFL-CIO urges the swift confirmation of Jennifer Sung to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Sung’s stellar professional credentials, extensive litigation experience, and demonstrated commitment to public service and equal justice under the law, make her eminently qualified to fill this important judicial vacancy.
Ms. Sung is currently serving her second term as an appointed member of Oregon’s Employment Relations Board, a three-member panel charged with interpreting and enforcing Oregon’s public sector labor law and the state’s personnel law. Board members primarily decide appeals from recommended orders issued by administrative law judges in contested cases. As a Board member, Ms. Sung has decided cases impartially and conscientiously, working collegially with her fellow Board members. This experience will serve her well as a judge on the Ninth Circuit.
While working in private practice, Ms. Sung litigated various statutory and constitutional matters in state and federal courts. She has advocated for workers in a range of occupations and represented workers with disability claims both in court and in labor arbitration proceedings.
Ms. Sung has all the qualifications traditionally sought in nominees for the appellate courts with her law degree from Yale Law School and a clerkship with Judge Betty Binns Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She would also bring to the bench her experience as a child of immigrants with a deep, personal appreciation for our democracy, the rule of law, and the rights guaranteed by the constitution. This is a superb nominee who will be an outstanding federal judge. Her confirmation should proceed immediately.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs