[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 122 (Thursday, July 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NOMINATION OF RYAN BOUNDS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate is continuing our 
productive summer. This week we have been focused on confirming more of 
the President's qualified nominees. After his confirmation yesterday, 
Andrew Oldham, of Texas, will now bring his impressive credentials and 
years of distinguished service to his new role on the Fifth Circuit 
Court of Appeals. Today, we are considering the nomination of Ryan 
Bounds to serve on the Ninth Circuit. Each of these nominees has been 
selected by the President and his team for their credentials, 
reputations, and commitment to the rule of law. Each has been 
thoroughly examined by our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee.
  Ryan Bounds is no exception. He has earned degrees from Stanford and 
Yale. He clerked for the very Ninth Circuit judge he has been nominated 
to succeed. For the past 14 years, he has distinguished himself as a 
public servant at the Department of Justice and in his current role as 
an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Oregon.
  Along the way, he has earned the respect and recognition of legal 
professionals from across the country and the political spectrum. 
Forty-six of his colleagues in the District of Oregon describe his 
``admirable work ethic,'' ``keen judgment,'' and ``masterful writing'' 
as ``skills that colleagues and opponents alike seek to emulate.''
  In a letter to our Senate colleagues from Oregon, criminal defense 
attorneys who have litigated against Mr. Bounds testified to his 
``fairness,'' ``diligence,'' and ``legal acumen.''
  They write:

       He has shown time and time again that he is a man of his 
     word. . . . He is an excellent lawyer and would make an 
     outstanding judge.

  A number of law professors from across the country seem to agree. 
They remind us about the standards to which this body is charged with 
holding judicial nominees--fairness, impartiality, intellectual rigor. 
To sum it up, in the words of one legal peer, ``Ryan has all of this, 
and more.''
  So I look forward to voting to confirm this excellent nominee, and I 
urge all of my colleagues to join me.

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