{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-menendez-applaud-confirmation-of-karen-m-williams-to-us-district-court-for-new-jersey", "Booker, Menendez Applaud Confirmation of Karen M. Williams to U.S. District Court for New Jersey", "2021-10-26", "2021", "2021-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) applauded the Senate\u2019s confirmation of Karen M. Williams to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.\n\n\u201cJudge Williams has had a long and distinguished legal career defending the rights of workers and has a deep understanding of the issues facing the people of New Jersey,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cJudge Williams is eminently qualified to serve on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and I know that she will bring fairness, impartiality, and a commitment to applying justice equally to the federal bench. This is a historic confirmation\u2014she is the first African-American federal judge confirmed by the Senate to sit in the federal courthouse in Camden, New Jersey. I am proud of her confirmation today.\u201d\n\n\u201cJudge Karen M. Williams is a thoughtful and intelligent legal mind and her unique experience as a human resources professional, trial attorney, and magistrate judge make her eminently qualified to serve on the U.S. District Court of New Jersey,\u201d said Senator Menendez. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud that she is the first Senate-confirmed African American and person of color to sit in the U.S. District courthouse in Camden, N.J. I am confident that she will not only administer equal justice under the law, but serve the people of New Jersey with distinction. I thank President Biden for selecting a stellar nominee who reflects the values and diversity of the great state of New Jersey.\u201d\n\nKaren M. Williams has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court in the District of New Jersey since 2009. Judge Williams also currently serves as an adjunct professor at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Prior to her appointment, Judge Williams spent 17 years in private practice at Jasinski & Williams, P.C. in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Judge Williams\u2019s work focused on employment law, including litigation in state and federal courts and before administrative bodies. Judge Williams received her J.D. from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law in 1992 and her B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1985.\n\nEarlier this year, the Senate confirmed Julien Xavier Neals and Zahid Quraishi to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Booker delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of Neals andQuraishi. And just last week, the Senate also confirmed Christine P. O\u2019Hearn to that court. Williams is now the fourth judge confirmed for the District of New Jersey this year.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-menendez-applaud-confirmation-of-karen-m-williams-to-us-district-court-for-new-jersey"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2701288796961308, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}