[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S7596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



[[Page S7596]]

                     NOMINATION OF J. GARVAN MURTHA

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished chairman for his 
usual courtesy. My remarks will be very brief.
  One of the reasons I wanted to speak was to thank the distinguished 
chairman and thank the Republican leader, Senator Dole, and thank our 
distinguished ranking member, Senator Biden, and the distinguished 
Democratic leader, Senator Daschle, for their willingness to move 
through a number of judicial nominations last night, one of which was 
for the State of Vermont.
  Vermont, as the distinguished chairman knows, is currently, because 
of retirements and promotions and other reasons, the only State in the 
union that does not have a Federal district judge, other than in senior 
status. The distinguished chairman of our committee worked with me, 
Senator Jeffords, and others, to help us move through very quickly the 
nomination of Gar Murtha to be the new Federal district judge. I 
applaud the Senator from Utah for that, and I thank him for his help.
  Mr. President, I will make a couple of personal comments. I have 
known Gar Murtha from the years when both he and I were young lawyers, 
young prosecutors in the State of Vermont. I knew him as a prosecutor 
of great ability and total integrity. My family and the Murtha family 
have been close and dear friends from that time. I have watched he and 
his wife, Meg, raise their three wonderful children, Elizabeth, John 
and Will. They are model members of their community. They are respected 
by everyone--Republican, Democrat, Independent, liberal, conservative 
and moderate--within their community as people of great family values 
and true traditional Vermont values. He is also known as a lawyer of 
the highest excellence.
  When the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Gar Murtha as a Federal judge 
last night, I think it made a very, very wise choice indeed.
  I told President Clinton, when I asked him to nominate Gar Murtha, 
that he could do so knowing that this is a decision that would be one 
he could always be proud of. He would know that it is a decision he 
could make without any concern or qualm, just as I had no concern or 
qualm in recommending Gar Murtha to the President of the United States.
  So my feeling as a Vermonter, first and foremost, is that I am glad 
to see we are now going to have a Federal district judge. But, also, as 
one who has known Gar Murtha for 25 years, I know that our State is 
fortunate to have him, and the Federal bench is fortunate to have him. 
He follows in a great tradition of tremendous Federal judges we have 
had in Vermont--Judge Oakes, Judge Coffrin, Judge Parker, Judge 
Billings, Judge Gibson, Judge Leddy and Judge Holden. These are people 
that I have known, and I have practiced law before many of them. Gar 
Murtha will now be part of a very stellar constellation indeed.
  When I recommended Mr. Murtha to the President back in December, I 
described him as a respected lawyer from the southern part of Vermont 
who has a wide range of legal experience. He has distinguished himself 
by his contributions to the community and by his participation in 
efforts to improve our justice system. I told the President that he 
could feel very secure in making this nomination and that in the years 
to come it will reflect well on him, the Senate, and Vermont.
  I have great confidence that Gar Murtha will be a fair, thoughtful, 
and judicious addition to the Federal bench in Vermont.
  Mr. Murtha is an outstanding lawyer and exceptional person who will 
make a fine Federal judge and serve all of the people of Vermont and 
the Nation and the interests of justice by applying the law fairly and 
honestly.
  I first met Gar when I was serving as State's attorney for Chittenden 
County and he as deputy State's attorney for Windham County. I was in 
the northwestern part of the State and he in the southeastern. He 
developed and has maintained a reputation of absolute, rock-ribbed 
integrity.
  I know of his involvement in the community, in the State, and in the 
bar in a number of positions, including his service as a public 
defender here in the District of Columbia, his service on the Second 
Circuit Task Force on Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness and on the 
Second Circuit's Committee on Federal Rules.
  The father of three, Mr. Murtha has demonstrated in his family life, 
in his civic life, and in his professional life, the sense of community 
that Vermonters value so highly. He has served on a number of boards 
and commissions in southern Vermont. He is active in youth, community, 
and civic organizations.
  Gar is a person of great fairness and integrity and an outstanding 
lawyer with wide-ranging experience. I have every confidence that he 
will make an outstanding Federal judge, who will be just, practical, 
and hardworking on behalf of all. I have heard from lawyers and people 
from all over the State who have expressed their support for this 
nomination and their appreciation that their Federal judge will be one 
who will ensure a fair trial for all, whether plaintiff or defendant, 
whether poor or rich.
  Since Judge Billings assumed senior status and Judge Parker was 
confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit last 
year, Vermont has been without a full-time U.S. district judge. Vermont 
deserves to have its Federal judges considered, confirmed, and in place 
ready to rule on important matters.
  In light of these circumstances, I want to extend special thanks to 
the majority leader, the Judiciary Committee chairman, the Democratic 
leader and our ranking member and all our colleagues for proceeding 
promptly on this nomination and confirming Mr. Murtha to the Federal 
court bench.
  It was my honor and privilege to recommend J. Garvan Murtha to the 
President of the United States and to present him to the Senate 
Judiciary Committee for consideration of his nomination to be the next 
U.S. district judge for Vermont. It is now my pleasure to thank our 
Senate colleagues for the consent that they provide to this nomination 
and to announce to the people of Vermont that the nomination of their 
new Federal judge has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.


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