As Superior Court Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed—President Donald Trump’s nominee for a federal judgeship in Connecticut—appeared Wednesday in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing, colleagues at home said she is one of a few judges who could excel at both criminal and family law.

“Judge Jongbloed did family short calendar in Norwich, and sat on the criminal bench in New London,” said John Nazzaro, a former Superior Court judge and current partner at The Reardon Law Firm in New London. ”It’s rare that you have a judge who has split assignments between civil and criminal. It’s an art, and she did it with aplomb.”