[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 169 (Thursday, October 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the next nomination.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as the nomination of 
Lance E. Walker, of Maine, to be United States District Judge for the 
District of Maine.
  Thereupon, the Senate proceeded to consider the nomination.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Justice Lance Walker of Maine to serve on the U.S. District Court for 
the State of Maine. With nearly two decades of experience as both an 
attorney and as a judge in Maine, Justice Walker is well-qualified for 
the Federal bench.
  Justice Walker is a lifelong Mainer, where he lives with his wife 
Heidi and their two daughters, Ava and Dylan. He was born in the small 
town of Milo and raised in Dover-Foxcroft. He graduated from the 
University of Maine and from the University of Maine School of Law, 
with honors. He clerked for the Maine Superior Court before entering 
private practice.
  Early in his career, Justice Walker distinguished himself as a 
skilled trial and appellate attorney at the law firm of Norman, Hanson 
& DeTroy, one of the premier law firms in Maine. He tried cases before 
juries and judges throughout Maine and in Federal Court and was 
selected for recognition in respected peer-reviewed legal publications 
such as Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in 
America.
  In 2014, Justice Walker was unanimously confirmed to the Maine 
District Court by the Maine State Senate. He adjudicated a wide variety 
of cases primarily in Androscoggin and Oxford Counties. A year later, 
Justice Walker was nominated to serve on the Maine Superior Court, 
Maine's trial court of general jurisdiction, a post to which he was 
also unanimously confirmed. Justice Walker has presided over complex 
criminal and civil cases, appeals, postconviction reviews, and jury 
trials.
  As a judge, Justice Walker has spoken with recovering addicts and 
caregivers about opioid addiction and its intersection with the 
criminal justice system, an issue that is of urgent importance to 
communities across Maine.
  The Judiciary Committee received several letters of support from 
legal professionals in Maine who know Justice Walker well, including 
from attorneys who have appeared before him, and from the Maine Trial 
Lawyers Association. Justice Walker has a reputation for fairness and 
respect for the law. As Daniel Wathen, former chief justice of the 
Maine Supreme Court, wrote: ``I have known a lot of lawyers and judges 
in my fifty three year legal career in Maine, and I can think of no one 
who is better qualified to assume the trial bench in the federal court 
system. Having served on the Supreme Court of Maine for more than 
twenty years, I believe that I can recognize a good judge. Lance's 
nomination is well deserved and if confirmed, he will serve with 
integrity, competence, and humanity. In short, he will add to the 
strength and stature of the distinguished federal bench in Maine.''
  Justice Walker has the intellect, experience, integrity, temperament, 
and respect for the Constitution and the rule of law that are essential 
in a Federal judge. His experience in private practice and as a State 
judge makes him well-qualified for the Federal district court, and if 
confirmed, he will serve the people of Maine and the Nation fairly and 
capably.
  I urge my colleagues to support this nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the Walker nomination?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, for all the 
nominations confirmed, the motions to reconsider are considered made 
and laid upon the table and the President will be immediately notified 
of the Senate's actions.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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