[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1482-S1483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              Vote on Nomination of Gregory Kent Frizzell

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont is recognized.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the Gregory 
Frizzell nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I yield back whatever time we have 
remaining on this side.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is all time yielded back?
  The Senator from Oklahoma is recognized.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I was honored a few minutes ago to talk 
about this very outstanding young man, Greg Frizzell. Unfortunately, as 
the senior Senator from Vermont knows, we tried our best to get him in 
last year. We were unable to do it. But thanks to him and helping us to 
expedite the confirmation of this fine young man, we will be voting 
now.
  This gentleman comes from a background that is unusual and unique. I 
know of no one who has said anything negative about him in our State of 
Oklahoma. So I think justice will be served with the confirmation of 
Greg Frizzell for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
  I am proud to stand here today in support of Judge Greg Frizzell's 
nomination to be the U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of 
Oklahoma. After his Judiciary Committee hearing in September, I was 
certain that he would be confirmed before the end of the year. However, 
due to some regrettable political wrangling, his nomination was 
stalled.
  Fortunately, over the past few weeks, I have spoken to my colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle to help expedite Judge Frizzell through the 
committee process and bring his nomination to the Senate floor. I am 
convinced that he is the most capable and well-qualified person for 
this position.
  His family is no stranger to the legal field--I can remember his 
father, Kent Frizzell. He served as attorney general for the State of 
Kansas--that is when I first got to know his family. Later on, when 
they moved to Oklahoma, we became very close friends.
  He has had all kinds of experience in the past--serving the Under 
Secretary of Interior, and he has taught at the University of Tulsa Law 
School for almost 20 years. So given his father's distinguished work, 
it is no surprise that Judge Frizzell felt compelled to pursue a career 
in public service, and his friends and colleagues have praised his 
professional qualifications and personal integrity, as well as his 
ability to rule fairly from the bench.
  Someone who has been around as long as this young judge has been 
around, you would think you would hear negative things--I have never 
heard anything negative about him. Robert Sartin, member of the board 
of governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association said, ``Judge Frizzell is 
a man of extremely good character and high integrity, with a deep sense 
of personal responsibility toward his fellow man.'' Judge Claire Egan, 
praised him and talked about the urgency to fill vacant spots on the 
bench--she emphasized the fact that the court right now has three 
judges doing the work of six.
  One of the prominent and well-respected attorneys in Oklahoma, Joe 
Wohlgemuth of a distinguished law firm in Tulsa, called Judge Frizzell 
``a man of integrity and a straight arrow''.

[[Page S1483]]

  Before serving in the current position of District Judge of the 14th 
Judicial District of Oklahoma, Greg Frizzell had a long and 
distinguished legal career and ample Federal experience. After 
graduating with a law degree from the University of Michigan, he 
clerked for Judge Tom Brett--Tom Brett is now in retirement and there 
is no one who has a better reputation than he, and he has praised Greg 
Frizzell time and time again. Ralph Thompson, a prominent senior judge 
serving on the Federal bench in Oklahoma, has also praised him.
  After clerking for Judge Brett, Frizzell became an associate at an 
Oklahoma law firm and then ran his own private legal practice until he 
was selected to be general counsel to the Oklahoma Tax Commission. 
After serving for a period of time at the Tax Commission, he was then 
appointed to his current position as Judge of the 14th District of 
Oklahoma.
  Not only has Judge Frizzell proven an effective and fair legal 
professional, he is a devoted husband and loving father of six 
children.
  Getting back again to Mr. Wohlgemuth, he recalls an incident where 
Judge Frizzell, had to work late one night doing work and he brought 
all six kids to spend time with them into the late hours--anyone who 
can handle six kids while doing his judicial work, I think can handle 
this job.
  So, Judge Frizzell is a man of great moral integrity who has proven 
his character in both his private and public life. I cannot say enough 
about him and his qualifications to be the next U.S. District Court 
Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma and I urge my colleagues to 
confirm his nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, a brief comment on Gregory Frizzell. He 
was born in Wichita, KS, which is a great note of distinction, being it 
is my birthplace. I debated against his father in high school. So I 
have a little more enthusiasm in asking my colleagues to support his 
confirmation.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Gregory Kent Frizzell, of Oklahoma, to be 
United States District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma?
  The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. 
Johnson) is necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 99, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 41 Ex.]

                                YEAS--99

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Brown
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burr
     Byrd
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Conrad
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Craig
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Graham
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Isakson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Klobuchar
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     Martinez
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Obama
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Salazar
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Tester
     Thomas
     Thune
     Vitter
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Webb
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Johnson
       
  The nomination was confirmed
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to 
reconsider the votes on the nominations are considered made and laid on 
the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.

                          ____________________