[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 39 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1326-S1327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            LYNCH NOMINATION

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I might also reflect on that victory 50 
years ago and think about another civil rights milestone that we have 
an opportunity to act on this week--this week--in Washington.
  Two weeks ago, the Judiciary Committee favorably reported the 
nomination of Loretta Lynch to the full Senate. If confirmed by the 
Senate, Ms. Lynch will become the first African-American woman to serve 
as Attorney General of the United States.
  In January, she gave moving testimony to the committee about sitting 
on her father's shoulders as a young girl so she could witness civil 
rights activists planning sit-ins and marches in the early 1960s.
  Ms. Lynch is incredible. She is so well qualified that in the course 
of 2 days of hearings, there was virtually no negative question asked 
of her. She handled it so well.
  She has now waited 121 days for confirmation by the Senate. Loretta 
Lynch has waited longer than any nominee for Attorney General in the 
last 30 years. She languishes on the calendar. It is embarrassing to 
think that after all of the speeches and all of the reflection of this 
last weekend on the progress we have made in civil rights in America, 
this woman, whose nomination in and of itself is a civil rights 
victory, is being held up in the Senate for no obvious reason.
  As Congressman Lewis said in a recent letter to the Judiciary 
Committee, Ms. Lynch ``recognizes the value of all people and has 
fought vigorously to ensure their equal protection under the law.'' 
John Lewis said: ``She will carry the torch of justice to help make the 
United States a more perfect union.''
  Mr. President, we are not a perfect union. We will strive throughout 
our history to reach that almost impossible goal. There is a lot of 
work we need to do, and each generation must accept it. First we need 
to confirm Loretta Lynch, and let's do it soon. Let's do it this week 
so she can lead the Department of Justice and continue the fight to 
move our Nation forward. And we must restore the Voting Rights Act so 
the Justice Department has the tools it needs to ensure the efforts of 
those who marched 50 years ago.
  As I said before, no other Attorney General nominee in the last three 
decades has had to wait this long to receive a confirmation vote on the 
floor of the Senate. By way of comparison, the Democratic-controlled 
Senate confirmed Michael Mukasey as Attorney General 53 days after his 
nomination was announced.
  Ms. Lynch was reported out of the Judiciary Committee on February 26 
in a bipartisan vote. On that day, the Judiciary Committee also 
reported out the nomination of Michelle Lee to be Director of the 
Patent and Trademark Office as well as a bill called the Justice for 
Victims of Trafficking Act.
  The majority leader has scheduled a vote on Ms. Lee for today, and he 
has said the Senate will vote this week on the trafficking legislation. 
Why is Ms. Lynch's nomination being kept in limbo while these other 
matters are being scheduled ahead of her? There is no reason to stall 
the process for Ms. Lynch any further. The majority leader should 
schedule a confirmation vote without delay.
  When we have that confirmation vote, I will be proud to vote in 
support of Loretta Lynch. She is a nominee of outstanding 
qualifications, integrity, and judgment. She has been confirmed twice 
before by the Senate to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern 
District of New York, and she has served in that position with 
distinction. She has prosecuted some of the highest profile cases in 
the country, and she has received widespread praise for her diligence 
and her no-nonsense approach.
  Ms. Lynch is a prosecutor's prosecutor. But her resume stands out for 
other reasons as well. She received undergraduate and law degrees from 
Harvard. She has private sector experience at prestigious law firms, 
including working as a defense attorney and on civil matters. And she 
has international experience working for the U.N. International 
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
  Through it all, Ms. Lynch has never forgotten her roots, growing up 
as the daughter of a minister and a school librarian in North Carolina. 
Loretta Lynch's life is a testament to the fact that in America, glass 
ceilings can be shattered through hard work, perseverance, and 
outstanding performance on the job. Now the Senate is in the position 
to confirm this historic nominee to serve as our next Attorney 
General--once her floor vote gets scheduled.
  I think Ms. Lynch will do an excellent job. But don't take it from 
me. Let me read some of the praise for Ms. Lynch that has come from 
individuals and groups that have endorsed her.
  Here is what the president of the National District Attorneys 
Association, Michael Moore, said about her:

       On behalf of the National District Attorneys Association, 
     representing 2500 elected and appointed District Attorneys 
     across the United States as well as 40,000 assistant district 
     attorneys, I write in strong support of Loretta Lynch's 
     nomination to lead the Department of Justice as the next 
     Attorney General of the United States. As prosecutors facing 
     challenges in the field from violent crime, to human 
     trafficking, to gangs and drug traffickers, our membership 
     feels that Ms. Lynch understands the operational nature of 
     these challenges and will be a strong independent voice at 
     the helm of the Department.

  Here is a letter signed by 25 former U.S. attorneys, both Republicans 
and Democrats, including Patrick Fitzgerald and Scott Lassar from my 
home State of Illinois. They said:

       We are all former United States Attorneys. Some of us 
     served in Republican administrations, some in Democratic 
     administrations. We all share a deep commitment to the rule 
     of law and an abiding respect for the Department of Justice. 
     . . . We firmly believe that Ms. Lynch will make an 
     outstanding Attorney General. . . . we believe that Ms. Lynch 
     has the experience, temperament, independence, integrity, and 
     judgment to immediately assume this critically important 
     position.

  Law enforcement groups support Ms. Lynch, too. Here's a letter from 
the President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 
Richard Beary. He said:

       The IACP believes that Ms. Lynch's years of service have 
     clearly demonstrated that she has the qualifications and 
     experience necessary to be an effective leader of the U.S. 
     Department of Justice . . . The IACP urges you to confirm Ms. 
     Lynch's nomination rapidly.

  Here is a letter from the president of the Federal Law Enforcement 
Officers Association, representing 26,000 active and retired federal 
law enforcement officers. He expressed his full support for Ms. Lynch 
and said:

       FLEOA stands behind her proven leadership and her support 
     for those who investigate and enforce the federal statutes. . 
     . . Her accomplishments and her leadership continue to 
     resonate in the law enforcement community, and she possesses 
     the requisite institutional knowledge that is required of the 
     position of Attorney General.

  These are just some of the endorsements that Ms. Lynch has received. 
She has also been endorsed by other prosecutor and law enforcement 
groups, bar associations, business leaders, civil rights organizations, 
and former top Justice Department officials from both parties.
  As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend marked the 50th Anniversary 
of Bloody Sunday when 600 civil rights marchers were beaten on the 
Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL. Our Nation's conscience was shocked 
by the image of John Lewis, now a Congressman from the State of 
Georgia, being beaten and badly injured on Bloody Sunday by troopers 
with nightsticks.
  John Lewis has spent his life marching for the cause of justice. He 
speaks with a voice of moral authority that all of us should heed. 
Several weeks ago Congressman Lewis sent a letter to the Judiciary 
Committee in support of Ms. Lynch.
  I want to read an extended excerpt from the letter I mentioned 
earlier. Congressman Lewis said:

       With over 30 years of legal experience, Ms. Lynch is 
     unwavering in her efforts to create a more just society. A 
     Harvard graduate with an extensive career in public service, 
     private practice, and academia, she recognizes the value of 
     all people and has fought vigorously to ensure their equal 
     protection under the law.
       She will carry the torch of justice to help make the United 
     States a more perfect

[[Page S1327]]

     union. Ms. Lynch's commitment to civil rights stems from her 
     family's roots in North Carolina. Her father, a Baptist 
     minister, preached at a church where students would meet to 
     organize anti-segregation boycotts. Her grandfather, a 
     sharecropper and pastor in the 1930s, helped people in his 
     community who faced challenges under the Jim Crow system.

  I will never forget Loretta Lynch's description of her father raising 
her onto his shoulders so she could witness the civil rights protestors 
in his church. The fact that this young girl could be the first 
African-American woman to serve as our Nation's Attorney General is 
another milestone on our Nation's long, slow march to establish a 
``more perfect union.''
  The bottom line is this: Loretta Lynch is extraordinarily well-
qualified to serve as Attorney General. She has been extensively 
vetted, and she has performed admirably while in the spotlight of that 
process. And Members of the Senate have had plenty of time to review 
her qualifications.
  It is time to move forward and hold a vote on Ms. Lynch. There is 
nothing to be gained by further delay. I hope the majority leader, 
Senator McConnell, will call her nomination for a vote and I hope all 
my colleagues will support this outstanding nominee.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.

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