[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8709-S8710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SOTOMAYOR NOMINATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, a long 10 weeks ago, President Obama made 
history when he nominated the Nation's first Hispanic to be a Justice 
of the U.S. Supreme Court, and only the third woman. This week, the 
Senate will make history when we confirm her.

[[Page S8710]]

  Judge Sonia Sotomayor is an American of tremendous qualifications. 
Both her academic record and her career experience are second to none. 
She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and went on to 
do as well at Yale, where she was a member of the Law Review. She has 
served as a prosecuting attorney, a lawyer in private practice; she was 
on the trial bench and an appellate judge. After she is confirmed, she 
will be the only Justice in the current Supreme Court with experience 
as a trial judge--experience that I believe will be valuable to her 
colleagues.
  One of the objections people have had about the makeup of the Court 
is that people come with basically no experience in the courtroom other 
than the appellate judges who sit in back rooms and listen to arguments 
once in a while and not in a courtroom listening to cases being 
presented, sustaining and overruling objections, and listening to 
arguments to the jury. They simply have not had that experience. She 
has. She has developed a 17-year record as a moderate, mainstream 
judge.
  When the judge testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for 4 
grueling days, she respectfully and thoroughly answered questions from 
both sides of the aisle--Democrats and Republicans. This week, the 
Senate will debate her nomination. It will be a fair debate. It will be 
a full debate.
  I appreciate the statements from my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle who have said they will vote to confirm her to the Supreme 
Court.
  Many Senators have very thoughtfully said they regret how politicized 
the process of confirming judges has become in recent years. An unsung 
hero in the battle for the judiciary is Lamar Alexander, the Senator 
from Tennessee. Senator Alexander has been Governor of the State of 
Tennessee. He was in the Cabinet as Secretary of Education. During the 
very difficult nuclear option, when there was a knockdown, drag-out 
fight that I felt would have ruined the basic makeup of the Senate and 
what the Senate stood for, it was he who quietly and in the background 
came up with the idea of the Gang of 14. Basically, he said to me and 
to others: Why don't we have an equal number of Democrats and 
Republicans sit down and try to work this out. He took none of the 
limelight. He stepped back, and the process he suggested went forward.
  He has decided to vote for Sonia Sotomayor. Most of his colleagues 
are not going to do that. I am sure if you ask Lamar Alexander why he 
decided to do that, of course, the qualifications are fine, but I think 
one reason he wants to do it is he believes in having temperate 
suggestions on both sides of the aisle to make a better Senate.
  So I am very fond of Lamar Alexander. I appreciate his ability to 
bring sides together, and I appreciate his standing up in this instance 
for this judge, because the process of confirming judges has become in 
recent years very politicized. Whose fault is it? It is probably the 
fault of both sides. It is something that just got out of hand. 
Hopefully, we can bring it back to where it has been in the past.
  I have tried during the time I have been the majority leader to allow 
full and firm debate. There have been limited instances out of 
necessity where we haven't had full opportunities to amend pieces of 
legislation. That is the way it used to be when I came here, and that 
is the way I hope it is going to be in the future.
  In light of the battle we have had in the past over the so-called 
nuclear option, I appreciate the sentiments of a number of Senators. 
Lindsey Graham is an example. Lindsey Graham has had editorials all 
over the country written on his behalf. Columns have been written in 
major newspapers in Nevada complimenting the Senator from South 
Carolina for the statements he made regarding this judicial problem we 
have now.
  I am disappointed that not more of my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle are likely to vote for this outstanding nominee, particularly 
in light of her record and qualifications, but maybe in the future 
things will get better. I am, however, grateful for the respect my 
colleagues have shown her throughout this process, even those who have 
said they are not going to vote for her.
  I look forward to voting to confirm Judge Sotomayor as soon as we can 
so that she can continue her commendable service to our country.

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