Cassidy Recommends Bradford “Brad” J. Kelley for U.S. District Judgeship in Eastern District of Louisiana

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today recommended Brad Kelley to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Cassidy highlighted Kelley’s distinguished military service, extensive legal experience, and record of public service. Remarks as prepared below: Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, It is my privilege to recommend Brad Kelley to the Committee to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Brad’s record reflects academic excellence, distinguished military service, significant public service, and sophisticated legal practice. Brad is a proud double-graduate of LSU, where he graduated, summa cum laude, with degrees in Political Science, History, and International Studies. In recognition of his academic achievement, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Brad later attended LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he was an editor of both the Louisiana Law Review and the Journal of Civil Law Studies. Brad received his law degree, magna cum laude, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Following law school, Brad clerked for the Honorable Donald E. Walter of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, where he gained a rare view into the inner workings of a federal court. If confirmed, Brad will take an Oath to uphold the Constitution. He knows something about that firsthand. Between college and law school, he served our country honorably as a captain in the United States Army. Brad served as an infantry platoon leader and as a lead intelligence officer for a unit of nearly one thousand soldiers. During the Iraq War, he also advised senior command leadership on combat missions. Brad’s commitment to those who serve did not end when he left the Army. As an attorney, he provides regular legal assistance and counsel to Gold Star Families––those special Americans who have suffered the grievous loss of immediate family killed in the line of duty. In addition to helping the families of those who have fallen, Brad has aided those who live on with the wounds of their service. In recognition of his extensive pro bono work on behalf of our veterans, Brad received a commendation. Brad also brings substantial experience in public service. After a stint in private practice, Brad returned to government service, where he served as a senior official during both Republican and Democrat administrations, including as a Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor and as Chief Counsel to a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Those positions gave him firsthand experience with federal law, administrative agencies, and the practical consequences of government decision-making. Brad then returned to private practice, where he became an equity partner at one of the world’s largest labor and employment law firms. He now co-chairs the firm’s artificial intelligence and technology practice group and has served as lead counsel in complex litigation across the country. That breadth of experience matters. Our federal district courts benefit from exposure to how difficult legal issues have been settled in other circuits, in addition to their own. Brad’s cross-jurisdictional experience makes him apt for this task. He is admitted to the practice of law in Louisiana, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and D.C. Circuits. And Brad is no stranger to the court on which he has been nominated to serve. He has litigated several matters in the Eastern District of Louisiana, including matters as recently as this year. Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, I am confident that Brad Kelley has the credentials, experience, rigor, and patriotism that mark exceptional nominees to the federal bench. I support his nomination without question. With that, I yield. ###