U.S. Senator Susan Collins today introduced Nancy Torresen, nominee to become the next U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Maine, during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Collins supports the nomination of Ms. Torresen, who currently serves as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine.
"Nancy Torresen is eminently qualified to be confirmed as U.S. District Judge for Maine," Senator Collins said. "She has led an exemplary career of public service culminating in her current position as Assistant U.S. Attorney. She is well respected in the legal community and was rated 'unanimously well-qualified' by the American Bar Association.
"In conversations with Judge Torresen, I became convinced of her dedication and passion for the law. She has remarked that she is proudest of her criminal prosecution efforts because of the urgent need to protect the public from violent criminals and her desire not to let down the victims of violent crime.
"I would also like to note that Judge Torresen, if confirmed, would be the first woman to serve as District Judge for Maine. Maine has a history of superb federal judges, and I believe that Judge Torresen will continue that tradition if confirmed," Senator Collins concluded.
Judge Torresen graduated from Hope College with a B.A. cum laude in 1981 and received her J.D. cum laude in 1987 from the University of Michigan Law School. She began her legal professional career in 1987 when she served as a law clerk to the well-respected Maine Judge Conrad Cyr. From 1988 to 1990, she worked at the law firm Williams and Connolly in Washington, D.C.
In 1990, she became an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine where she initially handled civil matters involving federal agencies. In 1994, she was assigned to the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division of the Maine Attorney General where she was primarily responsible for representing the State in appeals of serious violent crime convictions. In 2001, Judge Torresen returned to the U.S. Attorney's Office where she has been responsible for investigating and prosecuting federal crimes in the northern half of Maine.
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