[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 102 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8010-S8011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NOMINATIONS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Judiciary Committee

[[Page S8011]]

has reported another group of executive branch nominees and that the 
Senate will be acting on the President's nominations to head the Civil 
Rights Division and the Tax Division of the Department of Justice so 
promptly.
  Just as the committee proceeded promptly with the consideration of 
the President's nomination of John Ashcroft to be Attorney General, 
when I temporarily chaired the committee in January, we are continuing 
to move promptly on other nominations this month. In January, the 
Senate did not receive the nomination of John Ashcroft until January 19 
and reported it to the Senate the very next day. In deference to the 
President, the committee had moved ahead with hearings on the 
nomination the week of January 16 in advance of receiving the 
nomination by the President.
  The Senate has confirmed the President's nominations of the Attorney 
General, the Deputy Attorney General and a controversial nomination to 
serve as Solicitor General. The President has yet to nominate anyone to 
be Associate Attorney General, the third highest ranking position at 
the Department of Justice. We have confirmed nominees to serve as 
Deputy Attorneys General to head the Criminal Division, the Antitrust 
Division, the Office of Legislative Affairs, and the Office of Legal 
Policy.
  In late May, Chairman Hatch conducted a hearing on the nomination of 
Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., to be the Assistant Attorney General in charge of 
the Civil Rights Division. I had included Mr. Boyd's nomination on the 
agenda for a business meeting of the Judiciary Committee last week, our 
first week in session after the adoption of a Senate organizing 
resolution and the assignment of committee membership. But less than 
half of the Republican members of the committee showed up for the 
business meeting on July 12. We were unable to reach a quorum last week 
to report out the President's nominations to the Justice Department. 
Yesterday, at our next business meeting of the Judiciary Committee, we 
reported that nomination to the Senate.
  It took the Senate the entire month of June to pass S. Res. 120, a 
simple resolution reorganizing the committees. It was only last Tuesday 
that assignments to committees were completed. Last Wednesday, the 
first day after the committee membership was set, we proceeded to hold 
a confirmation hearing including additional an executive branch 
nominee, Eileen O'Connor to be Assistant Attorney General for the Tax 
Division of the Department of Justice. Today the Senate has that 
nomination before it because we were able to expedite its consideration 
by the committee at our business meeting yesterday. I expect the Senate 
will confirm Ms. O'Connor, another of the President's nominations to a 
key post at the Department of Justice. I am glad to be able to 
accommodate the request of the Attorney General to expedite her 
consideration.

  This week the Judiciary Committee proceeded with back-to-back days of 
hearing on the important nominations of Asa Hutchinson to head the Drug 
Enforcement Administration and James Ziglar to head the Immigration and 
Naturalization Service. I have noticed another hearing for next Tuesday 
for judicial and executive branch nominees, including the President's 
nominees to be Assistant Attorney General to head the Office of Justice 
Programs and to be the Director of the National Institute of Justice.
  The Senate received the President's nomination of a new FBI Director 
on Wednesday of this week and I proceeded that same day to notice 
hearings on that important nomination to begin a week from Monday. It 
is my hope that with the cooperation of all Members and the 
administration we should be able to make progress and work toward 
Senate consideration of the nomination of Robert Mueller to be Director 
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation before the August recess, if 
possible. I have asked for the cooperation of all members of the 
committee, on both sides of the aisle. I noticed the hearings on Robert 
Mueller's nomination to begin on July 30. We will see if it is possible 
for the committee act on that nomination before the August recess, 
which would be my preference.
  I regret that Senators and their staffs will have not have more time 
to prepare for so important a hearing as that on the nominee to be the 
next Director of the FBI. It is my hope that the series of oversight 
hearings regarding the FBI in which we have been engaged, including our 
hearing this week, have helped and that Senators will be able to adhere 
to an expedited schedule for the hearing, a very brief turnaround time 
for written follow up questions and immediate Committee consideration.
  We have set an ambitious schedule of five confirmation hearings this 
month on the President's nominees. We have completed three of those 
confirmation hearings and have another scheduled for each of the next 
two weeks. We have also reported a number of nominees, including the 
three Judicial Branch and two Executive Branch nominees before the 
Senate for consideration today.
  The nomination of Ralph Boyd, Jr., to head the Civil Rights Division 
was reported unanimously and without objection by the Judiciary 
Committee. Senator Kennedy, in particular, has been a strong and 
consistent advocate for this nomination and I thank him for his 
efforts. This will be one of the least contentious paths for a nominee 
to head the Civil Rights Division in some time. Indeed, the Judiciary 
Committee refused for the last three years of the Clinton 
administration even to report to the Senate President Clinton's 
nomination to head the Civil Rights Division. The handling of this 
nomination and the treatment of the nominee by Members not from the 
President's party stand in sharp contrast to the treatment of Bill Lann 
Lee.
  I join with Senator Kennedy in urging the Senate to act favorably on 
the nomination of Ralph Boyd, Jr.

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