WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) introduced Jasmine Yoon in a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. In November, the senators recommended Yoon to fill an upcoming vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, which will be created when Judge Michael F. Urbanski assumes senior status in July 2024. In January, President Biden nominated Yoon for the seat. 

“[Yoon] came to our country at age 14 from South Korea, speaking virtually no English. So in eighth grade, she spent her time reading the dictionary and watching American TV, and by the time she got into high school, she spoke fluent English thanks to that ethic of hard work. She developed such a stellar record that she was a two-time graduate of the University of Virginia, both undergrad and law school,” said Sen. Warner. “Jasmine’s community-oriented mindset, her qualifications, and her numerous accolades make her an extraordinary nominee for the Western District of Virginia.”

“This is such a happy occasion for Senator Warner and I,” said Sen. Kaine. “[Jasmine Yoon] really has a wide breadth of legal experience. We've never had an Asian American member of the Article III bench in Virginia… To have come to the United States at age 14, speaking virtually no English, and four years later, to get a full scholarship to UVA—when she graduated from undergrad, she received the award as the outstanding undergraduate… and she also received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship to go to UVA law school. Truly an amazing record… She would be a tremendous, tremendous asset to our federal judiciary, and that’s why Mark and I are so proud to be here to introduce her today.”

Jasmine Yoon is the Vice President for Corporate Integrity, Ethics, and Investigations at Capital One Financial Corporation. Prior to this role, she served as Interim University Counsel and Associate University Counsel at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, her alma mater. She also worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, where she investigated and prosecuted over 80 financial crimes and public corruption cases. Her nomination will now be considered by the Judiciary Committee and subsequently the full Senate.

Under President Biden, the senators have confirmed 177 federal judges to the bench, including the Honorable Toby Heytens, Patricia Tolliver Giles, Michael S. Nachmanoff, Elizabeth Haines, Jamar Walker, and Robert Ballou for federal courts across Virginia. 

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