WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) spoke on the Senate floor today, urging his colleagues to confirm Jennifer Hall as the newest judge for the U.S. District Court of Delaware, minutes before a vote to confirm her on the floor passed by a bipartisan majority of 67-29. Judge Hall garnered more votes in favor of her nomination than any other district court nominee this Congress.
“I rise today in support of the nomination of the Honorable Jennifer Hall to be our next District Court Judge in the District Court of Delaware, one of the very busiest dockets in the entire nation,” Senator Coons said on the floor. “The District of Delaware handles a remarkable amount of complex patent cases and cutting-edge commercial litigation. It takes a special judge to serve in this court and Judge Hall’s unique background and extensive legal experience make her an ideal candidate.”
Judge Hall’s successful vote on the floor today continues her impressive record of garnering bipartisan support in the Senate. Yesterday, a strong bipartisan majority of senators agreed to invoke cloture on Judge Hall’s nomination by a vote of 63 to 26. Last month, the Judiciary Committee voted to advance her nomination by a vote of 16-5; at the time, it was the most bipartisan vote of any district court judge awaiting a floor vote.
Judge Hall was nominated for the judicial vacancy that will be created when Judge Richard G. Andrews takes senior status at the end of this year. She is currently a Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District of Delaware, having served in that capacity since 2019. Previously, Judge Hall served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware from 2011 to 2019, including as Chief of the Civil Division from 2015 to 2019; prior to that, she was a patent lawyer in the Wilmington office of Fish & Richardson P.C. Judge Hall also clerked for the Court of Appeals for both the Federal and Third Circuits.
Judge Hall received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota.
Full audio and video are available here. A full transcript is provided below.
Senator Coons: Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination of the Honorable Jennifer Hall to be our next District Court Judge in the District Court of Delaware, one of the very busiest dockets in the entire nation. The District of Delaware handles a remarkable amount of complex patent cases and cutting-edge commercial litigation. It takes a special judge to serve in this court, and Judge Hall’s unique background and extensive legal experience make her an ideal candidate. My colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed, advancing her nomination to this floor by a strong, bipartisan vote of 16 to 5. Judge Hall received support from half of the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Ranking Member [Lindsey] Graham [R-S.C.], Senators [Chuck] Grassley [R-Iowa], [John] Cornyn [R-Texas], [Mike] Lee [R-Utah], and [Thom] Tillis [R-N.C.].
She already knows the District of Delaware very well, serving as a Magistrate Judge since 2019. She’s proven herself a legal powerhouse and, time and time again, has handled a high volume of the most complex cases. Her legal experience before assuming the bench is just as impressive: eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Delaware, where she was Chief of the Civil Division, leading hundreds of cases on behalf of our federal government. Prior to that, she practiced law at Fish and Richardson P.C., where she litigated intellectual property and complex commercial cases. A graduate of Penn Law, she clerked for Judge Kent Jordan on the Third Circuit and Judge Sharon Prost on the Federal Circuit. Before enrolling at Penn, she earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Molecular Biochemistry from Yale, an education and background that will aid her as she decides complex patent and IP law cases.
You can see why the American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Hall as “well qualified” to serve on the District of Delaware bench. Mr. President, I know Judge Hall to be a balanced and thoughtful jurist, a skilled lawyer, and a compassionate human being – not just a great judge, but a loving wife to her husband, David, and a devoted mother to their children. Judge Hall’s exceptional qualifications, strong character, and even temperament will make her an asset to the District of Delaware. Yesterday, we voted by a margin of 63 to 26 to invoke cloture. I’m hopeful for an even stronger vote just now. I support her nomination without reservation and urge my colleagues to do the same.