[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 105 (Monday, September 11, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S8339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I would like to talk today about the need 
to move through a number of important judicial nominations. This 
process has been dragging on for too long.
  Pending before the Judiciary Committee are dozens of federal appeals 
court nominations, including that of my Iowa constituent, Bonnie J. 
Campbell for the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
  There are 22 vacancies in our federal appeals courts. With the 
growing number of vacancies in the federal courts, these positions 
should be filled with qualified individuals as soon as possible. And so 
I urge the Republican leadership to take the steps necessary to allow 
the full Senate to vote up or down on these important nominations.
  Ms. Campbell, who received a hearing by the Judiciary Committee in 
June, would serve on the 8th Circuit with honor, fairness, and 
distinction.
  Bonnie Campbell has a long and distinguished history in the field of 
law. She began her career as a private practice lawyer in Des Moines in 
1984. She worked on cases involving medical malpractice, employment 
discrimination, personal injury, real estate, and family law.
  She was elected as Iowa's Attorney General in 1990--the first woman 
ever to hold that office in Iowa. During her tenure, she received high 
praise from both ends of the political spectrum for her outstanding 
work enforcing the law, reducing crime, and protecting consumers.
  In 1995, she was appointed as the Director of the Violence Against 
Women Office in the Department of Justice. In that position, she played 
a critical role in implementing the Violence Against Women provisions 
of the 1994 Crime Act.
  Again, she won the respect of individuals with a wide range of views 
on this issue. She has been, and still remains, responsible for the 
overall coordination and agenda of the Department of Justice's efforts 
to combat violence against women.
  Mr. President, I've known Bonnie Campbell for many years. She is a 
person of unparalleled integrity, keen intellect, and outstanding 
judgment. She is fair, level-headed, and even-handed.
  These qualities, and her significant experience, make her an ideal 
candidate for this important position.
  Her nomination has been strongly supported by many of her colleagues, 
including the current Iowa Attorney General and the President of the 
Iowa State Police Association. Her nomination has also been approved by 
the American Bar Association. And Bonnie Campbell has the solid support 
of both myself and my Iowa colleague, Senator Grassley.
  Mr. President, I view the Senate's ``advise and consent'' 
responsibility on judicial nominations in the Senate to be on par with 
our annual responsibility to move appropriations bills. And, as such, 
the Senate's schedule between now and adjournment should be adjusted to 
assure adequate time for their consideration.
  We have the time if we have the will.
  Again, Mr. President, we have a backlog of judicial vacancies, and it 
is only fair to push them through as soon as possible. I urge the 
leadership and the Committee to move them, including Bonnie Campbell, 
with all due speed. The American people and the people of Iowa's Eighth 
Circuit are ill-served by these vacancies.

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