[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NOMINATION OF JUSTICE BARBARA KEENAN

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, in the summer of 2009, Senator Webb and I 
had the honor of interviewing several potential candidates to serve on 
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. We were enormously 
impressed by the quality of all the candidates being considered. But 
one candidate rose to the top of the list for her extensive experience, 
judicial temperament, and commitment to the law. This candidate was 
Justice Barbara Keenan.
  President Obama nominated Justice Keenan on September 14, 2009. The 
Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination where 
members of the committee were given the opportunity to engage Justice 
Keenan in a question-and-answer session. On October 29, 2009, the 
members of the committee reported the nomination by unanimous consent.
  Justice Keenan's nomination has been on the Senate Calendar for 4 
months now. I believe it is time for this Chamber to consider the 
nomination and give Justice Keenan an up-or-down vote.
  Justice Keenan has strong academic credentials. She graduated from 
Cornell University in 1971 and received her law degree from the George 
Washington University Law School in 1974. She also earned a master of 
laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.
  Justice Keenan has served with distinction at every level of State 
court in Virginia. She has served as a justice on the Virginia Supreme 
Court since 1991. She also served on the Fairfax County General 
District Court, the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, and the Court of 
Appeals of Virginia. Earlier in her career, Justice Keenan worked as an 
assistant prosecutor in Fairfax and briefly worked as an attorney in 
private practice.
  The Virginia State Bar Judicial Nominations Committee ranked Justice 
Keenan as ``highly qualified.'' She was one of the few candidates to 
receive a unanimous vote.
  The committee noted in the summary of her evaluation that ``. . . it 
would be a shame to lose Justice Keenan's skills on the Supreme Court 
of Virginia, but Senators Webb and Warner could do no better than her 
appointment to the Fourth Circuit . . .'' The committee also found that 
Justice Keenan has exhibited excellent judicial temperament, has the 
highest integrity, and concluded that she has superior intellect and 
legal skills for the position.
  In addition to the Virginia State Bar, Justice Keenan was considered 
``highly recommended'' or ``highly qualified'' by the Virginia Women 
Attorney's Association, the Old Dominion Bar Association, the Virginia 
Trial Lawyers Association, and the Asian Pacific American Bar 
Association.
  I must also mention that Justice Keenan is the first woman appointed 
to the bench in Virginia and one of the initial 10 appointees to the 
Virginia Court of Appeals following its creation in 1985.
  Six weeks ago Justice Keenan was the first woman to administer the 
oath of office to a Virginia Governor, Gov. Bob McDonnell.
  In May, Virginia Lawyers Weekly named Justice Keenan as the 
``influential woman of the year'' for ``a litany of first and years of 
service.''
  I look forward to casting my vote in support of Justice Barbara 
Keenan's nomination and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to do the same.

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