[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 48 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3419-S3420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




NOMINATION OF WILLIAM C. GRIESBACH, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
              JUDGE FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of William C. Griesbach, to 
be United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of 
Wisconsin.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I rise to support the confirmation of 
William C. Griesbach to be U.S. District Judge for the District of 
Wisconsin.
  I have had the pleasure of reviewing Mr. Griesbach's distinguished 
legal career, and I have come to the opinion that he is a fine lawyer 
who will add a great deal to the Federal bench in Wisconsin.
  Judge Griesbach is a Wisconsin native and attended both college and 
law school in the area. He graduated from Marquette University in 1976 
and from Marquette University Law School in 1979.
  After graduation from law school, Judge Griesbach served as a law 
clerk to the Honorable Bruce F. Beilfuss, Chief Justice of the 
Wisconsin Supreme Court. He then worked for 2 years as a staff attorney 
for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit before joining a 
Green Bay law firm where he spent 5 years as an attorney handling 
primarily civil cases, including personal injury, insurance, commercial 
and employment litigation.
  In 1987, he returned to public service as an Assistant District 
Attorney in Brown County until 1995 when he was appointed to the 
Wisconsin Circuit Court for Brown County, the position in which he 
currently serves.
  His docket has included the full range of cases appearing before a 
State trial court, including criminal, civil, juvenile and domestic 
matters.
  In 1998, he was ranked highest among local circuit judges in several 
categories, including temperament, fairness, and judicial scholarship.
  Judge Griesbach has also made substantial contributions to the 
community, serving as a board member for

[[Page S3420]]

Wisconsin Family Ties, a non-profit organization that provides 
information and support to families with children that have mental, 
emotional and behavioral disorders; as a board member of the Family 
Violence Center in Green Bay; and as a board member of Legal Services 
of Northeast Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that provides legal 
services for the poor.
  I have every confidence that William Griesbach will serve with 
distinction on the Federal district court for the District of 
Wisconsin.
  Mr. KOHL. Madam President, today is a proud day for the state of 
Wisconsin. For 10 years we have worked to establish the Green Bay 
judgeship that makes this day possible. And for far longer, Judge 
Griesbach has developed the ability, gained the experience and 
cultivated the temperament necessary to be the first Federal judge to 
sit in Green Bay.
  We are confident that Judge Griesbach is the right man for the job. 
He possesses all the best-qualities that we look for in a judge: 
intelligence, diligence, humility, and integrity.
  The Green Bay community has waited a long time for a Federal judge. 
When Judge Griesbach is sworn in we think they will find it was well 
worth the wait.
  The lawyers who practice in front of Judge Griesbach agree. In a 1998 
survey by the Green Bay News Chronicle, Brown County attorneys ranked 
Judge Griesbach as the best judge in the area. In fact, he was rated 
first in every category polled, including: temperament; fairness; legal 
scholarship; work habits; and decisiveness. That is quite a testament 
to his ability.
  So, it came as no surprise that the bipartisan Wisconsin Federal 
Nominating Commission concluded that Judge Griesbach would make a fine 
Federal judge. For the past 23 years, Wisconsin has used a nominating 
commission to select candidates for the Federal bench. Through a great 
deal of cooperation and careful consideration, and by keeping politics 
to a minimum, we always find qualified candidates. Judge Griesbach's 
selection demonstrates that our process has succeeded once again.
  The Commission's reasons for his recommendation became apparent when 
I met him for our interview. He was candid, humble, and thoughtful. He 
has impressed everyone. He also made a fine impression during his 
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
  Judge Griesbach will inaugurate a tradition of fair and well-
respected jurists in northeastern Wisconsin. I support Judge 
Griesbach's nomination and commend our colleagues for supporting this 
fine judge.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of William C. Griesbach, to be United States 
District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin? On this 
question, the yeas and nays have been ordered, and the clerk will call 
the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES, I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. 
Helms), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), and the Senator from 
Kansas (Mr. Brownback) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 97, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 96 Ex.]

                                YEAS--97

     Akaka
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carnahan
     Carper
     Chafee
     Cleland
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham
     Gramm
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith (NH)
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Brownback
     Helms
     Inhofe
  The nomination was confirmed.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I wanted to make note of a very 
important fact with regard to judicial nominations. With the 
confirmation now of the two judges tonight, we have reached an even 50 
so far since we have become members of the majority. Forty-one district 
judges and nine circuit judges have now been confirmed. We have now 
exceeded the number of judges confirmed in the first year of the Reagan 
administration, the first Bush administration, and the Clinton 
administration. We have done that in 10 months, not 12. We will do much 
more over the course of the next 2 months, but I think it is a record 
of which we can be very proud. It is a record about which we feel very 
strongly. It is a record we said we would deliver when we became 
members of the majority. It is a record I think bears some attention, 
especially now that we have reached 50 confirmations in this relatively 
brief period of time.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________