Former Martin County resident introduced at nomination hearing

CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced three U.S. Sentencing Commission nominees, including Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky Claria Horn Boom, during the June 8 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing.

“It’s my privilege to introduce three extraordinary women for your consideration for the U.S. Sentencing Commission,” McConnell said. “Rising crime is at the top of many Americans’ minds. It’s as important as ever for us to confirm strong candidates for this Commission. I’m confident that these three nominees will hold criminals accountable and enforce law and order.”

McConnell highlighted the work of his fellow Kentuckian, Judge Claria Horn Boom.

“For the past four years, Judge Boom has served as a U.S. District Judge for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky,” said McConnell. “She’s part of a small and distinct class. Nationwide, only two judges serve in two separate districts at once. This role has offered a masterclass in law and justice. She travels throughout our state, from Pikeville to Paducah, to hear cases affecting every aspect of life in the Commonwealth. It’s a position at the heights of the legal world. But it’s quite different from her first courtroom experiences.”

Boom got her earliest taste of the American justice system alongside her mother, Carolyn Horn of Inez, who worked as the Martin County Circuit Clerk for three decades.

“That background gave her a firm grasp on the concept of ‘equal justice under law,’” said McConnell.

“To Judge Boom, everyone from downtown Louisville to the hills of Eastern Kentucky deserves the same respect in the courtroom. It’s a value she has upheld with distinction as a federal judge. And I know it’s the mentality she’ll bring to the U.S. Sentencing Commission when she crafts guidelines affecting the whole country.”

Before becoming a U.S. District Judge, Boom was previously a partner at Frost Brown Todd LLC and served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2001 to 2002 and the Western District of Kentucky from 1998 to 2001. From 1995 to 1998, she was an associate at King & Spalding LLP, and before that served as a law clerk for Judge Pierce Lively on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1994 to 1995.

Boom, the daughter of Everette and Carolyn Horn of Inez, received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A. from Transylvania University, summa cum laude.

McConnell also introduced nominees Claire McCusker Murray and Candice C. Wong.

McCusker was a Justice Department official during the Trump administration, and Wong was a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C.

“I know these three women are right for this role, and I expect you’ll find them informed, intelligent and well-prepared,” said McConnell.

The three are among seven people nominated last month by President Biden.