[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 73 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2528-S2529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOMINATION OF KURT ENGELHARDT

  Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, the nomination before us is for the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, specifically for Judge Kurt 
Engelhardt, and I rise today to voice my strong support.
  Judge Engelhardt is a Louisiana native, earning both his bachelor's 
degree and law degree from Louisiana State University. I should note 
that Judge Engelhardt was a member of the Golden Band from Tigerland as 
a law student, one of the great college marching bands. He may have 
missed all of that marching because he took up marathon running a few 
years ago and has now completed 13 full marathons, including the Boston 
Marathon and the New York City Marathon. All of this is to say that the 
man has a personal life that is active and vigorous, but he also has a 
legal life.
  After law school, Judge Engelhardt clerked for Judge Charles Grisbaum 
of the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He then practiced law 
at Little & Metzger in Metairie before becoming an associate and then 
partner at Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale in Metairie.
  In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Judge Engelhardt for a 
seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. 
The Senate confirmed him by a voice vote in December 2001, 
demonstrating that this body gave him bipartisan support as the quality 
candidate he was. He has been the chief judge of the Eastern District 
of Louisiana since 2015.
  Judge Engelhardt has been an active member of the New Orleans Chapter 
of the Federal Bar Association, serving on the board of directors for 
10 years and as chapter president in 2011. He has active memberships in 
the Federal District Judges Association, the Louisiana State Bar 
Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Jefferson Bar 
Association, and the Fifth Circuit District Judges Association.
  In 2004, Judge Engelhardt was appointed by the Supreme Court to serve 
on the Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction for 
two terms, and he has also served on the Louisiana Supreme Court's 
Judiciary Commission.
  Judge Engelhardt was also very active in serving the New Orleans 
community, having served on the board of directors of the Cancer 
Association of Greater New Orleans for more than 20 years.
  Judge Engelhardt was confirmed out of the Judiciary Committee on 
February 8, 2018, on a bipartisan basis. The committee recognizes that 
confirming good, qualified judges who uphold the Constitution is one of 
the Senate's top priorities.

[[Page S2529]]

  Judge Engelhardt is the kind of fair-minded and experienced person we 
need to serve on the bench. He has served the people of Louisiana well 
as an article III judge for the past 17 years, and I have no doubt he 
will continue to serve with the same high standards on the Fifth 
Circuit Court of Appeals.
  I support the nomination of Judge Kurt Engelhardt and urge all of my 
colleagues to do so as well.
  Thank you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

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