ms. rikelman. on the bench i'm confident she will serve with excellence to uphold the constitution. appointments to the circuit court are essential. the lion's share of all federal cases are decided at the circuit court level so it's necessary these vacancies are swiftly filled with exceptional nominees like ms. rikelman. this week the senate will also advance the nomination of natasha merle to be a district judge in the eastern district of new york. with ms. merle's confirmation, the senate will reach a major milestone. 100 district judges confirmed by senate democrats under president biden. many of these hundred judges have knocked down long-standing barriers to the halls of justice. the first muslim district judge, the first woman of color to be district judge in maryland and oregon, the first openly lgbtq judge in puerto rico, and the list could go on and on. district judges are an important reason why our federal judiciary is far more balanced, far more diverse, and far more experienced than t

ms. rikelman will have have deep -- will bring deep knowledge to the bench. my office has received letters of support of ms. rikelman's nomination from dozens of individuals and organizations, including members of the alaska state bar, current and former prosecutors, law enforcement officials, the national council of jiewish women and many -- jewish women and many of her former colleagues. she is described as brilliant, committed to the rule of law and deeply devoted to honoring the constitution and protecting our civil rights and civil liberties. these are precisely the qualities we are looking for in a nominee to the federal appeals court. we have them in julie rikelman. it is essential that we have diversity and she would be the first immigrant woman and the first jewish woman to serve in the first court of appeals. that's what this nation is all about. so senator warren and i are proud and enthusiastically recommend julie rikelman's nomination to president biden and are proud to speak in favor of her nomination in front of the full senate today. she will

ms. rikelman has described efforts to limit abortion as a vicious assault by hostile politicians and has even objected to restrictions on reprehensible practices like sex selection abortions. so, mr. president, these are the nominees of a president who promised to unify our country. i would urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting each of them. now, on an entirely different matter, as i discussed repeeltedly, lad mir putin's brutal escalation in creak has prompted america's european allies to take their commitments to collective defense entirely more seriously. meanwhile, on the other side of the world, russia's authoritarian aggression has reinforced a reality our friends in the indo-pacific understand all too well. from communist china's backyard, america's partners in japan, taiwan, and elsewhere see the clear connection between ukraine's fight against putin's russia and the threats they face closer to home. and they haven't been shy about calling it out. last year japanese prime minister said, quote, ukraine might be east asia tomorrow. we may show there are consequences to the att