{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-introduces-hawaii-nominees-to-us-district-court-micah-smith-and-judge-shanlyn-park-at-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing", "Schatz Introduces Hawai\u2018i Nominees To U.S. District Court Micah Smith And Judge Shanlyn Park At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing", "2023-10-04", "2023", "2023-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today helped introduce Micah Smith and Judge Shanlyn Park to the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing to consider their nominations to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai\u2018i.\n\n\u201cThey have the legal acumen as well as the character and temperament required to fulfill the duties of U.S. District Court judges. It\u2019s for these reasons that I\u2019m proud to support their nominations to the federal bench,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\nVideo of Senator Schatz\u2019s introductory remarks can be found here. The full text of the remarks, as prepared for delivery, is below. Photos of the nominees are available here.\n\nChairman Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, members of the committee: I\u2019m proud to support the nominations of Micah Smith and Judge Shanlyn Park to serve as judges on the U.S. District Court in Hawai\u2018i. Both of them are exceptionally qualified and I appreciate the opportunity to help introduce them to this committee.\n\nMicah Smith\u2019s story is a quintessentially American one. The son of an immigrant, he grew up in a housing project on Kaua\u2018i attending public schools before going to Lock Haven University where he graduated with top honors and later to Harvard Law School.\n\nFor the past 11 years, he has served as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, first in the renowned Southern District of New York and more recently in the District of Hawai\u2018i where he serves as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.\n\nThose who know him often highlight his abiding sense of fairness and balanced temperament. A colleague noted, \u201che listens and considers carefully before voicing his opinion,\u201d adding that he has \u201can unwavering commitment to achieve a better system of justice that provides access to justice for all.\u201d\n\nThat same commitment to equal justice underpinned Judge Shanlyn Park\u2019s two decades as a public defender giving voice to those most in need. A graduate of the University of Hawai\u2018i\u2019s Richardson School of Law, she represented low-income defendants on a variety of complex cases, earning a reputation among colleagues and opposing counsel alike as a highly-skilled, compassionate, and solutions-oriented attorney. And she has brought her integrity and sound judgement to the bench since becoming a state court judge in 2021.\n\nIn supporting her nomination, a former boss remarked, \u201cthe law is more than a job for Shanlyn,\u201d calling her \u201ca great ambassador for the law.\u201d\n\nJudge Park\u2019s credentials are impressive by any measure. But the historic nature of her nomination should not be lost on anyone. If confirmed, she would be the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve on the federal bench.\n\nThey have the legal acumen as well as the character and temperament required to fulfill the duties of U.S. District Court judges. It\u2019s for these reasons that I\u2019m proud to support their nominations to the federal bench. Thank you.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "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.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-introduces-hawaii-nominees-to-us-district-court-micah-smith-and-judge-shanlyn-park-at-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6834409907460213, "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"}