[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1480-S1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 Nomination of Lawrence Joseph O'neill

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to support Judge 
Lawrence O'Neill's nomination to the Eastern District of California.
  His confirmation would help to alleviate a judicial emergency in the 
Eastern District of California.
  The Fresno Division, to which Judge O'Neill is nominated, is 
suffering from a particularly acute overload of cases.
  Judge Anthony Ishii and Senior Judge Oliver Wanger are currently the 
only judges on the Fresno Division of the Eastern District. Their 
average caseload is the highest in the Nation.
  The people of Fresno and the Eastern District truly need the help 
that Judge O'Neill will provide.
  Fortunately, Judge O'Neill is uniquely qualified to step in and offer 
immediate relief to the Eastern District because he has been a 
magistrate judge in the District since 1999.
  In addition, for the last 17 years, Judge O'Neill has been a judge in 
California, spending 10 years as a superior court judge in Fresno 
before becoming a magistrate.
  He is a homegrown Californian. He was born in Oakland, CA, and 
attended school in California. He received a bachelor's degree in 
criminology from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's 
degree in public education from Golden Gate University, and a law 
degree from Hastings College of Law.
  Before attending law school, he was a police officer for the city of 
San Leandro. I believe this additional perspective will prove an asset 
on the bench.
  I was pleased to learn that the American Bar Association unanimously 
declared Judge O'Neill to be ``well qualified,'' the ABA's highest 
rating.

[[Page S1481]]

  In California, we have developed a bipartisan process for selecting 
Federal district court nominees. Under this system, a committee of 
lawyers, including Democrats and Republicans, recommends qualified 
applicants to the President.
  The fact that Judge O'Neill's nomination was a product of this 
commission gives me confidence that he comes to the bench without an 
ideological agenda and is prepared to serve all the people of 
California.