WATCH VIDEO OF SENATOR MURRAY’S REMARKS HERE
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke in strong support of U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Katherine (“Kit”) Dimke to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Washington.
Murray recommended Judge Dimke to the White House earlier this year after she was submitted to the Senator for consideration by Murray’s nonpartisan judicial merit selection committee for the Eastern District of Washington. Senator Murray’s process for recommending candidates for the federal bench has been lauded as a national model for Senators to replicate—for its emphasis on diversity of professional experience and background.
“Judge Dimke is someone with a proven track record who is committed to improving access to the Court and will identify ways for the Court to work equitably for all participants and for each voice to be heard,” said Senator Murray. “She has already demonstrated herself in this way, having—as a magistrate—worked to expand the court’s mediation services, improved and diversified the Court’s indigent defense services, and more quickly resolved one of the top areas of litigation that the Eastern District sees – Social Security disability appeals. Judge Dimke is eminently qualified to become a federal district court judge and will make an excellent addition to the federal bench from the Spokane Courthouse.”
Born in Clarkston, Washington, Judge Mary Katherine (“Kit”) Dimke has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Washington since 2016. Prior to becoming a judge, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 2012 to 2016 and for the Western District of Washington from 2008 to 2012. Judge Dimke joined the U.S. Department of Justice through its Honors Program in 2004 where she served as an attorney in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. until 2007. Judge Dimke served as a law clerk for Judge Richard C. Tallman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle, Washington from 2003 to 2004. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Alan B. Johnson on the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming in Cheyenne from 2002 to 2003.
Judge Dimke, a first-generation college graduate, received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2002 as a member of the Order of the Coif and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1999. Her community service work has focused on students. As a current member of the Tri-Cities Youth & Justice Forum Planning Committee, sponsored by the Washington State Minority and Justice Committee, she has worked to encourage middle and high school students from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the justice system professions to pursue careers in law and other areas.
Read more about Judge Dimke’s nomination HERE.
Senator Murray’s full remarks as prepared for today’s committee hearing are below:
“Chairman Padilla and Ranking Member Grassley, it’s my honor today to introduce Judge Kit Dimke for a district court vacancy in the Eastern District of Washington.
“To begin, I want to thank President Biden for nominating Judge Dimke for this position at my strong recommendation.
“I also want to recognize my non-partisan judicial merit selection committee, chaired by Andy Miller and comprised of top Washington state lawyers who practice in eastern Washington, who so ably guided us in selecting Judge Dimke for this position.
“Let me share a little bit more about Judge Kit Dimke.
“She is currently a federal magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Washington.
“She knows the current judges and all court components well, having served in that role since 2016, and is a highly respected judicial colleague.
“Given this current role, she has substantial experience in both criminal and civil federal litigation.
“She is active in court governance and local public outreach, and would continue this type of leadership if confirmed.
“She serves as the Vice-Chair of the Ninth Circuit Magistrate Judge Executive Board, and participates in the Court’s Judicial Institute, volunteering to judge the Court’s civics competitions for students.
“She is actively engaged in the court’s external outreach involving the issue of missing and murdered Native American and Indigenous women—a significant and serious problem facing tribal communities in Washington state.
“Her entire career has been in public service, and she previously worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in both the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.
“A native of Washington state, she grew up in rural Asotin County as the child of a cattle ranger and lumber mill owner—she knows Eastern Washington.
“Judge Dimke attended the Running Start program at Walla Walla Community College in high school, and went on to obtain her undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University and law degree from Vanderbilt.
“Judge Dimke is someone with a proven track record who is committed to improving access to the Court and will identify ways for the Court to work equitably for all participants and for each voice to be heard.
“She has already demonstrated herself in this way, having—as a magistrate: worked to expand the court’s mediation services, improved and diversified the Court’s indigent defense services, and more quickly resolved one of the top areas of litigation that the Eastern District sees – Social Security disability appeals.
“Judge Dimke is eminently qualified to become a federal district court judge and will make an excellent addition to the federal bench from the Spokane Courthouse.
“I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
“Thank you Chair Padilla and Ranking Member Grassley.”
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