[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12965-S12967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Edward J. Damich

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today the Senate will confirm the 
nomination of Edward J. Damich to be a judge on the Court of Federal 
Claims. Mr. Damich has been the Chief Intellectual Property Counsel to 
the Judiciary Committee since 1995. He has already had a distinguished 
career and is highly qualified to fill this challenging position. He 
received an A.B. degree from St. Stephen's College in 1970, a J.D. 
degree from the School of Law of Catholic University in 1976, and LL.M. 
and J.S.D. degrees from Columbia University School of Law. Upon his 
graduation from law school, he joined the faculty of the Delaware Law 
School of Widener University as a Professor of Law where he remained 
until 1984. From 1984-95, he was a Professor of Law at the George Mason 
University School of Law. During 1992-1993, Mr. Damich also served as a 
Commissioner of the Copyright Royalty Tribunal.
  Mr. Damich also has numerous accomplishments outside his professional 
career. He was named Outstanding Faculty Member in 1980 and 1984, and 
is listed in Who's Who in American Law. He has served as President of 
the National Federation of Croatian Americans and as a Board Member of 
the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts. He is also widely published 
in both the acadmic and professional forums.
  His hard work and intellect has made him a true asset to the 
Committee, and his presence will be missed. I am confident that he will 
make a terrific judge, and I wish him all the luck in this very 
important stage of his career.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I wish to express my support for the 
nomination of Edward Damich to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. I 
believe he is a fine choice for this important position.
  Before joining the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1995 as 
Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Mr. Damich served as a 
Commissioner of the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel. In that 
capacity, he was involved in numerous copyright issues, including the 
proper distribution of millions of dollars in copyright licensing fees. 
Further, for many years, he served as a Professor of Law in the area of 
intellectual property, first at Delaware Law School and later at the 
George Mason University School of Law in Virginia.
  Mr. Damich has been an asset to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 
recent Congresses. He is a strong supporter of property rights and has 
brought a wealth of knowledge of intellectual property law to his work. 
He has played an important supporting role on many important pieces of 
legislation in this area, including most recently the Digital 
Millennium Copyright Act.
  Mr. Damich is well qualified to serve on the Court of Claims, and I 
am pleased to support his nomination.


                         judge norman a. mordue

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I am very pleased that the Senate has 
confirmed Norman A. Mordue to the bench of the United States District 
Court for the Northern District of New York.
  Norman Mordue is a distinguished and competent jurist, having 
previously served as an assistant district attorney and county judge. 
He is now a New York Supreme Court justice. He is also a war hero. He 
earned this country's second highest military honor, the Distinguished 
Service Cross for Extraordinary Heroism, while serving as an infantry 
platoon leader with the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam.
  Judge Mordue has been active in many New York State Bar activities--
he is a presiding officer in the Bar's judicial section and a 
continuing legal education lecturer--and he has been elected by his 
peers to head the Supreme Court Justices' Association. I have every 
confidence that he will make an excellent addition to the federal 
judiciary.


                     nomination of margaret seymour

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I wish to express my strong support for 
Judge Margaret Seymour, President Clinton's nominee to be a United 
States District Judge for the District of South Carolina. Judge Seymour 
will replace Judge William Traxler, an excellent jurist who I 
recommended to the President for the District Court and who has just 
been elevated to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  Judge Seymour had a varied legal career in the private sector and in 
government service before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney 
in South Carolina in 1990. During four of her six years in the U.S. 
Attorney's office, she was Chief of the Civil Division. Also, she twice 
served as Interim United States Attorney, once in 1993 and again in 
1996.
  She was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge for the District 
of South Carolina in 1996, where she serves today. In that capacity, 
she is known as a diligent and fair jurist. She is also a person of 
character and integrity.
  I am very pleased to support her, and I am confident she will be a 
very able addition to the District Court.


                     nomination of denise o'donnell

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I am delighted that the Senate will 
confirm Denise O'Donnell to be the United States Attorney for the 
Western District of New York. She now becomes the first woman in the 
history of the 17-county Western District to be chief federal 
prosecutor. No woman before has ever had a presidential appointment in 
the district to one of the top three justice posts: judge, prosecutor 
or federal marshall.
  Ms. O'Donnell is a career Assistant U.S. Attorney. She came to the 
Western District in 1985 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and was named 
First Assistant in 1993. She has served as Interim U.S. Attorney since 
September 1997. In addition, she was a part-time instructor in the the 
Trial Technique Program at her alma mater, the State University of New 
York at Buffalo Law School. She graduated summa cum laude from that 
institution and was the senior editor of its law review.
  During her distinguished career as a prosecutor, Ms. O'Donnell has 
handled a host of complex criminal matters, including cases involving 
RICO, tax fraud, narcotics, and violent crimes. She is also an active 
participant in her local and state bar organizations and, last year was 
the Women Lawyers Association Lawyer of the Year.
  I am confident that Ms. O'Donnell will serve with the highest 
distinction.


                    nomination of margaret e. curran

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, today the Senate will consider the 
nomination of Margaret E. Curran as U.S. Attorney for the District of 
Rhode Island. I wholeheartedly support Ms. Curran's nomination and 
appreciate its speedy consideration by the Judiciary Committee. It 
certainly is noteworthy that Ms. Curran will be the first woman to 
serve as U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island in the more than two hundred 
years that this position has existed.
  Ms. Curran has served as Interim U.S. Attorney since May. She has 
proven herself to be a thoughtful, competent, and qualified federal 
prosecutor. I have every confidence that she will continue to do a fine 
job as the chief federal law enforcement office in Rhode Island. An 
editorial in the Providence Journal said of Ms. Curran:

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``She has shown herself to have capacious qualities of leadership, 
intellectual rigor, and good humor,'' qualities that will serve her 
well as U.S. Attorney.
  Ms. Curran has twelve years of experience as a federal prosecutor. 
She has earned wide regard from the legal community in Rhode Island. 
And she enjoys resounding support from Governor Lincoln Almond, who, 
for twenty years, held the position she will assume.
  Meg Curran is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and 
received a Master of Science Degree in anthropology from Purdue 
University. In 1983, she received her Law Degree from the University of 
Connecticut, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Connecticut Law 
Review. Before serving in the U.S. Attorney's office, Ms. Curran was 
clerk to the Honorable Bruce M. Selya, U.S. District Court for the 
District of Rhode Island and for the Honorable Thomas J. Meskill, U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is a member of the Rhode 
Island Bar Association, serves on the Federal Branch-Bar Committee, as 
well as the Roger Williams American Inn of Court, the First Circuit 
Gender Bias Task Force, and the American Law Institute. Also, Ms. 
Curran is professor of advanced criminal law at Roger Williams 
University Law School in Rhode Island.
  I am delighted that the Senate is prepared to confirm Margaret Ellen 
Curran as U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the Senate's 
confirmation of Margaret Ellen Curran as U.S. Attorney for the District 
of Rhode Island. I am proud to have been involved in the historic 
nomination of this outstanding career prosecutor. A native of 
Providence, Meg is the first woman to serve as Rhode Island's federal 
attorney. Her confirmation by the U.S. Senate today sends a clear 
message to career federal attorneys that their work and service is 
valued.
  Ms. Curran brings not only the necessary legal expertise and 
technical skill to this position, but she has also demonstrated the 
prosecutorial temperament necessary to carry out her significant 
responsibilities in a fair and judicious manner. I am confident that 
U.S. Attorney Curran will serve Rhode Island and its people extremely 
well.
  Ms. Curran graduated from Pilgrim High School in Warwick. She 
received a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of 
Science from Purdue University, and her law degree from the University 
of Connecticut School of Law, where she was Editor in Chief of the Law 
Review. After graduation, Meg served as a law clerk to the Honorable 
Bruce Selya, then a federal district judge in Rhode Island. She nexted 
served a clerkship for the Honorable Thomas Meskill on the Second 
Circuit Court of Appeals. After her second clerkship, in 1985, Meg 
became an associate at the Providence law firm of Wistow & Barylick 
pursuing general litigation matters.
  Since 1986, when she joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode 
Island, Meg has distinguished herself as an outstanding prosecutor. As 
a trail prosecutor, Meg tried a range of cases involving white-collar 
criminals, organized crime, illegal weapons possession, and was 
responsible for obtaining the largest monetary penalty, at the time, 
for the illegal discharge of pollutants into Narragansett Bay.
  In 1990, Meg was appointed as the district's Principal Appellate 
Attorney and Appellate Chief. In that position she has had primary 
responsibility for all appeals. As Appellate Chief she has successfully 
pursued precedent setting cases involving both mandatory sentencing for 
career criminals as well as heightened penalties for dealers of 
dangerous drugs.
  Meg has proven herself an accomplished trial and appellate attorney, 
and, for this, she has been recognized. She has received the annual 
Special Achievement Awards for Sustained Superior Performance of Duty 
from the Department of Justice four times. In 1993, she was named the 
Federal Employee of the Year by the Federal Executive Council of Rhode 
Island. Today, the United States Senate has provided her with the 
ultimate recognition of a career prosecutor by confirming her as U.S. 
Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.
  In addition to her professional service, Meg has also found time to 
serve her community. Since 1995, Meg has been an adjunct professor at 
Roger Williams University School of Law, teaching advanced criminal 
procedure. She is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association and 
serves on the Federal Bench/Bar Committee. Meg also serves on the First 
Circuit Gender Bias Task Force and is a member of the Board of Trustees 
of the Rode Island Zoological Society.
  Mr. President, I am proud to have been involved in the nomination of 
U.S. Attorney Curran. I wish her, her husband Michael, and their 
daughter Margee the very best.


                     confirmation of cardell cooper

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to express my strong support 
for the confirmation of Cardell Cooper to be the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development's (HUD) Assistant Secretary for Community 
Planning and Development. I thank the members of the Banking Committee, 
Chairman D'Amato, and Ranking Member Sarbanes for moving Mr. Cooper's 
nomination swiftly through the Committee.
  Mr. Cooper served with distinction as mayor of East Orange, New 
Jersey from 1990 to 1997. Prior to serving as mayor, from 1988 to 1990, 
Mr. Cooper was County Administrator for Essex County, where he was 
responsible for day-to-day management of the one of the largest and 
most urban counties in New Jersey.
  As a mayor and county administrator, Mr. Cooper was on the front 
lines. His practical experience, coupled with his passion for public 
service, makes him an excellent choice for this post. He knows the 
critical difference that development programs can make to communities 
and their residents, and the importance of forging strong partnerships 
between local, state and federal governments. His commitment to local 
economic development programs serving our young people, such as 
YouthBuild, and urban environmental initiatives, such as the 
brownfields program, will fuel his efforts to help our urban leaders 
succeed. Through his work with the Conference of Mayors, he has built 
solid relationships with mayors across the country and enjoys 
bipartisan support. His endorsement by the Conference of Mayors is a 
testament to the leadership he has provided.
  Mr. President, while professional experience and particular skills 
are important for effective service, Cardell Cooper has the personal 
strengths and attributes the Senate looks for in nominees to high 
posts. He is an energetic leader, with a strong work ethic and a deep 
commitment to public service and the mission of the Department. I can 
personally attest to his integrity and ability to work well within a 
larger organization.
  Mr. President, I hope the full Senate will act expeditiously to 
confirm Cardell Cooper as HUD's new Assistant Secretary for Community 
Planning and Development.


                      confirmation of harold lucas

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to convey to the full 
Senate my overwhelming support for the confirmation of Harold Lucas to 
be the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) new 
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. I especially want to 
thank Chairman D'Amato and Ranking Member Sarbanes, and all the members 
of the Senate Banking Committee, for moving Mr. Lucas' nomination so 
quickly through the Committee.
  Mr. Lucas has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing our 
nation's public housing authorities. Prior to his nomination, Mr. Lucas 
served as Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of 
Newark, New Jersey. When Mr. Lucas took hold of the reins at the 
Housing Authority in 1992, HUD considered it to be a ``troubled'' 
agency, and had given it failing grades since its creation in the 
1970s. Within two years of taking over, Mr. Lucas turned things around. 
Last year, the agency received a 94 percent rating--an A in anyone's 
book--and is now considered one of the top performing housing agencies 
in both New Jersey and the nation.
  During his tenure, Mr. Lucas tore down many dilapidated high-rise 
buildings and replaced them with more attractive townhouse-style 
housing that

[[Page S12967]]

provides a better quality of life for tenants and improves the 
neighborhoods that surround it.
  Mr. Lucas' dedication to helping public housing residents achieve 
self-sufficiency, and his strong commitment to ensuring the safety and 
viability of our public housing stock, are testament to his 
qualifications for this position. I am confident that our nation's 
housing authorities will be well served by having someone as dynamic 
and experienced as Mr. Lucas at the helm.
  Mr. President, I therefore urge the full Senate to conform, without 
delay, Mr. Lucas to be HUD's new Assistant Secretary for Public and 
Indian Housing.