{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-on-senate-floor-hirono-highlights-support-for-hawaii-federal-judge-nominees-ahead-of-confirmation-votes", "VIDEO: On Senate Floor, Hirono Highlights Support for Hawaii Federal Judge Nominees Ahead of Confirmation Votes", "2023-11-29", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of two nominees to serve as federal judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Shanlyn A.S. Park\u2019s and Micah Smith\u2019s nominations were announced by Senator Hirono and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) earlier this year. Smith was confirmed earlier today by a bipartisan vote of 57-41 and Park\u2019s nomination is expected to be voted on tomorrow.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad that later today the Senate will vote to confirm Micah Smith and tomorrow, Shanlyn Park, as judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii,\u201d said Senator Hirono during her remarks. \u201cI believe both nominees\u2019 experience, temperament, and demonstrated commitment to public service, along with their deep roots in Hawaii, will make them excellent judges on Hawaii\u2019s District Court. I look forward to voting to confirm them.\u201d\n\nSenator Hirono\u2019s full remarks are below and video is available for download here.\n\nM. President, I\u2019m glad that later today the Senate will vote to confirm Micah Smith and tomorrow, Shanlyn Park, as judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Shanlyn Park, who currently serves as a Hawaii Circuit Court judge, was born and raised in Hawaii, where her career has been spent almost entirely in public service. After graduating from Chaminade University and the William S. Richardson School of Law, Judge Park served as a Federal Public Defender in Hawaii for 20 years.\n\nAs a judge, she has earned high marks for her evenhanded approach and well-reasoned decisions. Importantly, if confirmed, Judge Park would make history as the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve as a federal district court judge. It\u2019s high time and long overdue. Representation matters.\n\nLike Judge Park, Micah Smith has also had an impressive legal career. After graduating from Lock Haven University and Harvard Law School, he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then on the Supreme Court for Justice Souter. He went on to became a federal prosecutor, a job he has held for the last 12 years.\n\nHe began at U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York and, in 2018, returned home to Hawaii to join the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office in Honolulu. I believe both nominees\u2019 experience, temperament, and demonstrated commitment to public service, along with their deep roots in Hawaii, will make them excellent judges on Hawaii\u2019s District Court. I look forward to voting to confirm them.\n\nLast month, Senator Hirono introduced and voted to advance the nominations of both nominees during two judiciary committee hearings.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "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.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-on-senate-floor-hirono-highlights-support-for-hawaii-federal-judge-nominees-ahead-of-confirmation-votes"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7881599012762308, "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"}