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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2004

SCHUMER FORMALLY ASKS PRESIDENT TO NOMINATE FORMER STATEN ISLAND DISTRICT ATTORNEY MURPHY TO FEDERAL BENCH

In bipartisan deal reached last July, White House and Governor Pataki gave Schumer pick for next vacancy in Eastern District of New York

With EDNY Judge Denis Hurley's decision to retire, seat Schumer has long said should be DA Murphy's is now opening

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today asked President George W. Bush to nominate former Richmond County District Attorney William Murphy to a new vacancy on the federal bench that will occur when Judge Denis R. Hurley retires.

"D.A. Murphy is an excellent lawyer, a dedicated public servant, and a profoundly good man. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding jurist, committed to interpreting law, not making law. He will serve the court honorably and handle cases fairly," Schumer wrote to the President.

Last July, Schumer brokered a bipartisan deal with the White House and Governor George Pataki to fill all of the current vacancies on New York's federal bench with moderate, diverse, and well-qualified judges. Under that deal, Schumer and Pataki backed all of the White House's pending New York nominees and all of the nominees who were undergoing background checks. As part of the agreement, the White House and Pataki backed Schumer's choice to nominate Paul A. Crotty – Mayor Giuliani's Corporation Counsel for four years – to the next vacancy that opened up in the Southern District of New York. They also promised to give Schumer a choice for the next nominee in the Eastern District of New York.

With the recent decision of Judge Denis R. Hurley to retire, that new vacancy is occurring on the federal bench for the Eastern District of New York. If nominated by the President and approved by the Senate, Murphy would become the only judge on that court to hail from Staten Island.

A copy of Schumer's letter to the President is attached.

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