Press Release

May 16, 2016
Cardin, Mikulski Applaud Senate Confirmation Of Paula Xinis For U.S. District Court Of Maryland

WASHINGTONU.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Paula Xinis of University Park, Maryland to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division. Senators Mikulski and Cardin recommended Ms. Xinis to President Obama for this position on the federal bench. The Senate confirmed the nomination of Ms. Xinis by a vote of 53-34.

 

“Marylander Paula Xinis is an impeccably qualified choice to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge. Reported unanimously by committee, the approval of her nomination should have been uncontroversial and decidedly swift. But instead of doing their job, Senate Republicans played politics with her confirmation and gave rise to yet another judicial emergency,” said Senator Cardin. “I am pleased that Paula Xinis finally will be able to join fellow jurists on the bench in Maryland. Democrats and Republicans agree that we need a fully functioning judiciary in Maryland and across the nation. My hope is that the confirmation of Paula Xinis will open the door to votes for the many other qualified judicial nominees who still await a vote before the full Senate.”

“I applaud today’s confirmation of Paula Xinis to serve on the District of Maryland bench, and was proud to recommend her for the job,” Senator Mikulski said. “When I consider nominees for the federal bench, I have four criteria: absolute integrity, judicial competence and temperament, a commitment to core constitutional principles and a history of civic engagement in Maryland. Paula Xinis not only meets these standards, she exceeds them. Ms. Xinis has a commitment to the rule of law and a passion for how it affects the lives of ordinary Americans. She is an extraordinarily qualified Marylander that will be a true asset to the District Court of Maryland.”

 

 

Ms. Xinis will occupy the seat vacated when Judge Deborah Chasanow took senior status in October 2014. The Southern Division of the District Court of Maryland is a federal court located in Greenbelt, Maryland. 

 

PAULA XINIS

Paula Xinis, of University Park, Maryland, joined the law firm of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy in Baltimore in 2011 as a senior trial attorney and became a partner in 2013. At Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, Xinis practices both civil and criminal litigation. Previously, Xinis served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Maryland from 1998 to 2011, where she also served as the Director of Training for the office from 2006 to 2011. Xinis began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. She received her J.D. in 1997 from Yale Law School and her B.A. with highest distinction in 1991 from the University of Virginia.

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