[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 48 (Monday, April 27, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Garr ``Mike'' King

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, we have confirmed the nomination 
of an outstanding judicial nominee to the U.S. District Court for the 
District of Oregon. Garr ``Mike'' King is a consummate professional, 
who is universally respected within the Oregon legal community for his 
integrity and professionalism. His long and distinguished legal career 
as a trial lawyer began as a Deputy District Attorney with the 
Multnomah County Oregon District Attorney's Office. He helped draft the 
Oregon Rules for Civil Procedure and wrote the arbitration rules used 
in Multnomah County. Since 1971, as a partner with the Portland firm of 
Kennedy, King & Zimmer, he has handled a variety of cases, including 
commercial litigation, professional malpractice, products liability, 
and employment litigation in an exemplary fashion. In addition, Mr. 
King has been active in the U.S. District Court mediation program, has 
served as an arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association 
and, in 1995, was elected to the Board of Regents for the American 
College of Trial Lawyers.
  Mr. President, I am confident that Garr ``Mike'' King will bring to 
the U.S. District Court for the district of Oregon the same dedication, 
professionalism, and integrity that has exemplified his entire legal 
career.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today we confirmed an outstanding lawyer, a 
knowledgeable and diligent servant of justice and great judicial 
nominee from my State of Oregon. It was a great honor to present to the 
Senate the name of Mr. Garr ``Mike'' King to be a United States 
District Judge for the District of Oregon.
  Mr. King comes before the Senate today with the bipartisan support of 
the Oregon Congressional delegation, and with broad support from both 
Oregon's law enforcement community and our state's legal community. Mr. 
King has served as a member of the Oregon State Bar Association since 
1963 and has distinguished himself as one of the finest attorneys in 
the state. During this period of time, Mr. King has developed a 
sterling reputation for integrity, hard work, intelligence, and 
diligence.
  In addition to his outstanding career as an attorney in private 
practice, Mr. King also has served as Multnomah County Deputy District 
Attorney and was elected to the Board of Regents of the American 
College of Trial Lawyers. He helped draft the Oregon Rules for Civil 
Procedure, authored the arbitration rules for Multnomah County and 
served as an arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association. 
He has been active in the U.S. District Court Mediation program since 
it was initiated and has worked quite closely with the Court to improve 
the federal mediation system.
  Mr. King is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served 
his country with honor from 1954 to 1957. He has lived in Oregon for 
the past 35 years and is a proud father of seven children who is deeply 
involved in his church and community affairs. As those of my colleagues 
who were at Mike's confirmation hearing can attest, I think he single-
handedly managed to fill about half of the hearing room with family 
members from all over the country, and I believe that speaks volumes 
about the kind of caring, concerned and committed family man Mike King 
is.
  As with previous recommendations that I have made for the federal 
bench, the recommendation of Mr. King was preceded by an extensive 
bipartisan screening effort undertaken by a committee of leading Oregon 
attorneys. The selection committee was appointed with input from all 
the members of the Oregon Congressional delegation and the Governor's 
office. All applicants reviewed by the committee were evaluated on 
three criteria: judicial temperament, fitness to serve on the federal 
bench, and legal qualifications. Mr. King was rated very highly by the 
committee, and after personally interviewing him, I found him very well 
qualified for this position.
  I want to again thank the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 
Senator Hatch for moving us to this point in the process. I am very 
grateful for both the amount of time and good counsel you continue to 
give me in the consideration of my region's needs on the federal bench.
  I also thank my colleague, Senator Smith, for his efforts on behalf 
of this nominee. Senator Smith and I have now worked together in 
support of two other fine candidates to the federal bench, both of whom 
have been confirmed by the Senate.
  I am certain that Mike King will bring to the federal bench the same 
intelligence, legal skill and integrity that he has brought to his work 
as one of our state's most respected attorneys.