[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 174 (Saturday, November 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



         Nominations of Judge Christina Reiss and Abdul Kallon

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that today the Senate will 
consider and confirm Judge Christina Reiss to a seat on the U.S. 
District Court in Vermont. Judge Reiss will be the first woman to serve 
on that Court.
  As the senior Senator from the State of Vermont, I was honored to 
recommend Judge Reiss to President Obama for this post. She has 
considerable criminal and civil experience, and is extremely qualified. 
For the past 5 years, she has been a State trial court judge in 
Vermont--a position to which she was appointed by Governor Jim Douglas, 
a Republican, and confirmed unanimously. She formerly was a partner in 
two Vermont law firms. Judge Reiss earned her B.A. from my alma mater, 
Saint Michaels College, and earned her J.D. with high honors from 
University of Arizona College of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of 
the law review.
  Judge Reiss has been nominated to fill the vacancy created when my 
good friend, Judge Garvan Murtha, announced his intention to take 
senior status on the court. It is the first vacancy on this court since 
1995, when the Senate confirmed Judge Murtha and Judge William 
Sessions. Judge Reiss will make an excellent addition to that court. 
She has already demonstrated as a state court judge her ability to 
relate to litigants of many backgrounds, and knows how important it is 
for judges to possess an understanding of the effects of legal rulings 
on people's lives.
  In making this recommendation, I looked to Vermont's Judicial 
Nominating Commission, a practice I started with the late Senator 
Robert Stafford, a Republican, and a practice I have continued to 
follow. The Commission that helped select Judge Reiss was comprised of 
a nine member non-partisan panel appointed by me, Senator Sanders, and 
the Vermont Bar Association, and we were aided in the selection process 
by input from Congressman Peter Welch. The non-partisan, merit-driven 
process is a good fit for our approach to government in Vermont.
  Senators of both parties have clearly seen that Judge Reiss has all 
of the qualities that are important on the Federal bench. Earlier this 
week, Judge Reiss's nomination was reported from the Senate Judiciary 
Committee without dissent in a voice vote. I am confident that Judge 
Reiss is the right person for this position.
  The Senate will also consider and confirm Abdul K. Kallon to the 
Northern District of Alabama, the home state of the Ranking Member of 
the Judiciary Committee. Mr. Kallon's nomination has the support of 
both Senator Sessions and Senator Shelby, and was reported out of the 
Senate Judiciary Committee this week with approval by voice vote.
  I congratulate Judge Reiss, Mr. Kallon and their families on their 
confirmations today.

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