Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet
Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Veronica Rossman to serve on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which serves six states including Colorado, by a bipartisan vote of 50-42:
“Veronica cares deeply about justice and the rule of law, and I am delighted the Senate voted to confirm her nomination today,” said Bennet. “We need more judges like Veronica who are not only highly qualified, but know what it means to be on the wrong end of a legal system that too often fails the most vulnerable in our society. She has been a first-rate lawyer, and I’m confident that she will make a first-rate judge.”
Bennet and U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) supported Rossman’s nomination for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals seat in June. Rossman is currently Senior Counsel to the Office of the Federal Public Defender (FPD) for the Districts of Colorado and Wyoming, where she represents criminal defendants who cannot afford private counsel in district court and in appellate matters originating in every judicial district in the Tenth Circuit. Rossman has served in both the FPD’s trial and appellate sections, was formerly the FPD’s Appellate Division Chief, and has worked with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts on behalf of the national Federal Defender organization.
For two years, Rossman taught as a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. For five years, Rossman served on the board of Faculty of Federal Advocates – an organization of attorneys dedicated to improving the quality of legal practice in the federal courts in Colorado by enhancing advocacy skills, professionalism, and the integrity of practice.
As a young child, Rossman and her family immigrated to the United States from Russia as political and religious refugees due to the anti-Semitism her family experienced. Rossman currently lives in Denver with her husband and daughter.
Last week, ahead of today’s confirmation vote, Bennet spoke on the Senate floor in support of Rossman’s nomination to serve on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Watch Bennet’s floor speech HERE.