[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 136 (Thursday, August 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5681-S5682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



   Reaffirming the Vital and Indispensable Role the Free Press Serves

  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, we swore an oath to support and defend the 
Constitution of the United States, including its First Amendment, which 
says, in part, ``Congress shall make no law respecting an 
establishment, or religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; 
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.''
  We can't let statements by the President declaring the press is the 
enemy of the people go unchallenged. Both parties complain about the 
media, but who can argue with Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that ``our 
liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited 
without being lost,'' or with James Madison, who said that ``the 
freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can 
never be restrained but by despotic governments,'' or with President 
Reagan, who said that ``freedom of the press is one of our most 
important freedoms and also one of our oldest,'' or with Justice 
Kennedy, who wrote that ``the First Amendment is often inconvenient. 
But that is beside the point. Inconvenience does not absolve the 
government of its obligation to tolerate speech.''
  These words of past leaders should inspire us to act, to send a 
message that we support the First Amendment, and we support the freedom 
of the press.
  Senators Schumer, Blumenthal, and I have introduced a resolution that 
does just that. It affirms that the press is not the enemy of the 
people, and it reaffirms the vital and indispensable role of the free 
press, serving to inform the electorate, uncover the truth, act as a 
check on the inherent power of the government, further discourse and 
debate and advance our most basic and cherished democratic norms and 
freedoms.
  This resolution also condemns attacks on the institution of the free 
press and views efforts to systematically undermine the credibility of 
the press as a whole as an attack on our democratic institutions.
  As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 607, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 607) reaffirming the vital and 
     indispensable role the free press serves.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SCHATZ. I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 607) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record 
under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I yield the floor.


                nomination of a. marvin quattlebaum, jr.

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise to express my disappointment 
that my Republican colleagues are not making better use of our 
legislative days in August. We could be working together to pass strong 
bipartisan bills that secure our elections and punish foreign nations 
and companies that hurt our national security. We could be working on 
healthcare and protecting people with preexisting health conditions and 
reducing the cost of prescription drugs. We could be working on 
legislation to strengthen our Nation's guns laws. My colleague, Senator 
Nelson, introduced emergency legislation to prevent the Trump 
Administration from allowing 3-D gun plans to be posted on the 
internet. We spoke on the floor and asked unanimous consent to have a 
vote on his bill, and Republicans blocked that effort.
  Instead, we are here, voting on Judge Quattlebaum's nomination to the 
Fourth Circuit. Judge Quattlebaum was confirmed to his present seat, as 
judge on the district court a mere 6 months earlier. Republicans think 
it is more important to promote a novice judge than to work on 
legislation to secure our elections, protect our national security, or 
prevent dangerous people from accessing guns.
  I urge Senator McConnell to reconsider the August legislative agenda 
and bring substantive bills to the floor for a vote.

[[Page S5682]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my 
remarks before the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, in a few minutes, we are going to vote on 
Marvin Quattlebaum to be a circuit judge for the Fourth Judicial 
Circuit in Richmond, VA. He is a South Carolina native and a district 
court judge in South Carolina. I have known Marvin for well over 20 
years. He is one of the most capable lawyers I have ever met. He has a 
great reputation as a district court judge.
  I thank President Trump for nominating him. I thank my Senate 
colleagues for moving his nomination forward. He will be a great 
addition to the Fourth Circuit. He is a very sound, conservative judge 
who is incredibly fairminded. To my Democratic colleagues who moved his 
nomination through the Judiciary Committee, thank you.
  Later in the day, we will vote on cloture on the nomination of Jay 
Richardson, also from South Carolina, to be on the Fourth Circuit in 
Richmond, VA. He was reported out of committee 20 to 1. Both gentlemen 
are rated unanimously ``well-qualified'' by the ABA. Jay is one of the 
great legal minds of our time, and I think he is going to be a great 
addition to the Fourth Circuit.
  He prosecuted the Dylann Roof case, the man who killed the nine 
parishioners at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. I 
recommend that you take time to listen to his arguments about that case 
if you ever get a chance. It is very eloquent.

  Both of these fine men come from South Carolina, and I urge my 
colleagues to vote affirmative when that time comes. I do want to again 
thank President Trump. Senator Scott and I both highly recommend to our 
colleagues ``yes'' votes for Mr. Quattlebaum and Mr. Richardson in just 
a minute.
  I thank Senator McConnell for moving these nominations forward and 
Senator Grassley for making sure they got out of committee.
  With that, I yield.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, all postcloture time 
has expired.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the 
Quattlebaum nomination?
  Mr. BARRASSO. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. 
Flake), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Utah 
(Mr. Lee), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain), the Senator from 
Florida (Mr. Rubio), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and 
the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. 
Alexander) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Florida (Mr. 
Rubio) would have voted ``yea.''
  Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) 
and the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 62, nays 28, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 183 Ex.]

                                YEAS--62

     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Carper
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hassan
     Hatch
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Jones
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     King
     Lankford
     Leahy
     Manchin
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Portman
     Reed
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Warner
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--28

     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Casey
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Feinstein
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Klobuchar
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Peters
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warren
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--10

     Alexander
     Durbin
     Flake
     Inhofe
     Lee
     McCain
     Murray
     Rubio
     Tillis
     Toomey
  The nomination was confirmed.

                          ____________________