Prepared Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Nominations
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Good morning, I’d like to welcome everyone to today’s hearing.
Our panel features four judicial nominees: Sheria Clarke to the District of South Carolina, Kathleen Lane to the District of Montana, Evan Rikhye to the District of the Virgin Islands and Kara Westercamp to the Court of International Trade.
Today’s nominees boast a diverse set of backgrounds.
Each has extensive litigation experience, but their career paths reflect varying practices that are uniquely tailored to the courts for which they’ve been nominated.
Before we turn to our visitors to introduce Ms. Lane and Ms. Clarke, I’ll introduce two of our nominees.
Their nominations are to courts that this Committee does not consider too frequently – the District of the Virgin Islands and the Court of International Trade.
Mr. Rikhye earned his law degree from American University.
He briefly worked with the Federal Election Commission, before spending the bulk of his career with the Justice Department.
In 2004, Mr. Rikhye began as an attorney advisor with the Office of Legal Policy.
He helped prepare federal judicial nominees through confirmation, including Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.
In 2006, Mr. Rikhye transitioned into a litigation role. He spent two years as a trial attorney with the Criminal Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Thereafter, Mr. Rikhye spent a decade-and-a-half as a federal prosecutor in a pair of U.S. Attorney’s Offices, including the District of the Virgin Islands.
He investigated and prosecuted a wide array of criminal offenses and diligently protected victims of fraud, drug trafficking and violent crimes.
He also briefly worked on detail as an attorney advisor to two U.S. Embassies.
Since 2024, Mr. Rikhye has served as senior counsel with Walmart, leading the company’s internal investigations.
Mr. Rikhye is an accomplished attorney with significant experience protecting the people of the Virgin Islands. I look forward to hearing from him today.
Ms. Westercamp is a native Iowan – a particular mark of distinction in my book.
She received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Iowa.
After law school, Ms. Westercamp clerked for Judge John Jarvey on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
In 2011, she went into private practice at Jones Day.
She litigated insurance recovery, securities regulation and financial disputes.
In 2014, Ms. Westercamp transitioned to public service as a trial attorney with the National Courts Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
In that role, she defended federal agencies in lawsuits before, and appeals arising out of, the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Her expertise in matters before that court is unparalleled.
Ms. Westercamp litigated trade disputes until late last year, when she transitioned into the White House Counsel’s Office.
Needless to say, Ms. Westercamp is highly qualified to serve as a judge on the Court of International Trade. I look forward to hearing from her today.
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