Wednesday, January 30, 2019

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE

Office of the Press Secretary

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:

     Robert L. King, of Kentucky, to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education, vice Eduardo M. Ochoa.

     Mark Schultz, of Nebraska, to be Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education, vice Janet Lorraine LaBreck.

Here is where American voters stand on immigration

1600 Daily
The White House • January 30, 2019

Here is where American voters stand on immigration


Last week, President Donald J. Trump made an appeal for bipartisanship to solve America’s immigration crisis. The reason is simple: Ordinary Americans across the political spectrum want to see illegal immigration addressed. The people fighting hardest to preserve the horrible status quo are entrenched interests in Washington.

This time must be different. President Trump has given Congress 3 weeks to reach a deal that secures our border while protecting the most vulnerable communities. Public opinion polls back the President up:
  • A recent ABC/Washington Post poll shows that most Americans believe the Government is doing “too little” to stop illegal immigration—including 4 in 5 Republicans, more than a third of Democrats, and a majority of independents.
     
  • Echoing that theme, a Gallup poll last month revealed that Americans view immigration as the second-biggest problem facing the country today.
     
  • A 2018 POLITICO/Morning Consult poll confirms a majority of voters disagree with Democrats’ proposal to eliminate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely. Not even a majority of Democratic voters agree.
     
  • Gallup polls from 2018 show that a majority of Americans personally worry about illegal immigration a “great deal” or a “fair amount.” More Americans oppose than support “sanctuary cities” that skirt Federal immigration laws, as well.
     
If Americans of all stripes call for safe and secure borders as part of common-sense immigration reform, why not give law enforcement the tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively? That shouldn’t be controversial. Congress needs to put the concerns of American voters before those of special and political interests.

There is some good news, however: A growing number of Democrats understand that obstructing immigration reform would put them at odds with ordinary Americans. In recent weeks, they’ve broken rank with Democratic leaders such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and have backed border security.

“Certainly you need barriers, and we support barriers,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) explains. Ditto Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): “Where folks say we need additional barrier protections, I’m all for it.”

Democrats who put sensible solutions above obstructionist politics should be applauded. Those who don’t need to listen to voters—not their donors or party bosses.

Something to share: Border security will put human traffickers out of business.

Former DHS special agent: “We Need to Build the Wall for the Children”

President Trump calls Venezuela’s interim President


President Trump last week officially recognized Juan Guaido, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as the country’s Interim President.

More than 3 million people have fled Venezuela since 2015. The United Nations estimates that number may swell to more than 5.3 million by the end of 2019. The United States is standing with Venezuelans as they demand democracy, human rights, and prosperity—all things denied to them by the corrupt Maduro regime and its authoritarian predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

President Trump spoke with Interim President Guaido today, congratulating him on his historic assumption of the presidency and reaffirming American support for Venezuela’s fight to regain its democracy.

“The fight for freedom has begun!,” President Trump tweets.

Vice President Pence: “Venezuela, America Stands With You”

Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers listen to President Donald J. Trump give remarks during his visit near the U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station in McAllen, Texas | January 10, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees

Office of the Press Secretary

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees
 

Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following judicial nominees:

Daniel A. Bress of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Daniel Bress is a partner with the global law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where his practice focuses on complex trial and appellate litigation, including class actions and large government fraud cases.  Mr. Bress practices in federal and state courts across the country, and he has litigated multiple cases in the federal and state courts of California.   Mr. Bress has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, where he has taught seminars in constitutional and statutory interpretation. Prior to joining Kirkland & Ellis, Mr. Bress worked in the San Francisco, California, office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.   Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Bress clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States.   Mr. Bress received his A.B. from Harvard College, magna cum laude, and his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Law Review.  Mr. Bress is a native of Gilroy, California.

Daniel P. Collins of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Daniel Collins is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where his practice focuses on appellate litigation in the Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit, and the California Supreme Court.  Mr. Collins has argued 36 cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, including two before the en banc court, and four cases in the California Supreme Court.  Prior to joining Munger Tolles, Mr. Collins served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked extensively on the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003, which included provisions to combat child pornography and child abuse and to reform federal sentencing laws.  Mr. Collins has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel.  Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Collins clerked for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and he later clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States.  Mr. Collins received his A.B. from Harvard College, summa cum laude, and his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford University, where he served on the Stanford Law Review.

Kenneth Kiyul Lee of California, to serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Kenneth Lee is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jenner & Block LLP, where his practice focuses on appellate litigation and internal investigations, and where he serves on the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.  He has briefed and argued appeals in multiple federal courts of appeals, including the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, and Ninth Circuits.  He also maintains an active pro bono practice, providing free legal representation to indigent and incarcerated clients.  Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Mr. Lee served as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush and as an associate with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.  Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Lee clerked for Judge Emilio M. Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Mr. Lee received his A.B. from Cornell University, summa cum laude, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Stanley Blumenfeld of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.  Stan Blumenfeld is a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court, currently assigned to the Felony Trial Court and serving as the Assistant Supervising Judge for the Northeast and Central Districts.  He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California School of Law and teaches a course in Constitutional Criminal Procedure and Remedies.  Prior to taking the bench, Judge Blumenfeld was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he served as Co-Chair of the Healthcare and Environmental Law practice groups, and was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California.  Upon graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk to Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Judge Blumenfeld received his B.A. from SUNY Binghamton, an M.A. in Spanish from New York University, and his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Law Review.

Patrick J. Bumatay of California, to serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.  Patrick Bumatay is an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where he is a member of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces Section.  He is currently detailed to the Office of the Attorney General, where he serves as Counselor to the Attorney General on various criminal issues, including the national opioid strategy and transnational organized crime.  Mr. Bumatay has also served in other positions in the Department of Justice, including the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, where he was responsible for overseeing various aspects of the Department’s civil enforcement programs, and the Office of Legal Policy. Upon graduation from law school,  Mr. Bumatay served as a law clerk for Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Court.  He also clerked for Judge Sandra L. Townes of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  Mr. Bumatay received his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.  He is a member of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA), the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, and the Federal Bar Association.

Jeremy B. Rosen of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Jeremy Rosen is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Horvitz & Levy LLP.  His practice focuses on appellate litigation, primarily in the Ninth Circuit, California Supreme Court, and California Courts of Appeals.  He specializes in First Amendment cases, with expertise in both the Speech and Religion Clauses, and is a California Bar Certified Appellate Specialist.  Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Rosen clerked for Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and he later clerked for Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Rosen received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Cornell University and a J.D. and L.L.M., magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Law, where he served on the Duke Law Journal.

Mark C. Scarsi of California, to serve as District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.  Mark Scarsi is a partner in the Los Angeles, California, office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCoy LLP, where he serves as the Chair of the firm’s Global Intellectual Property Practice and is the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office.  Prior to entering the legal profession, Mr. Scarsi worked for seven years as a software engineer, designing and developing detection and signal processing computer systems for U.S. defense applications.  Mr. Scarsi received his B.S. and M.S. from Syracuse University, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center.