[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5816-S5817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Frank William Volk

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
nomination of Frank W. Volk to be the U.S. district court judge of the 
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
  I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for putting partisanship 
aside and recognizing the importance of confirming qualified judges to 
our Federal courts.
  Frank Volk's cloture vote earlier today cleared this body by a 90-to-
0 vote without a single dissenting vote. Let me repeat that--90 to 0. 
How many times have we seen that happen in this body? That is a 
testament to Judge Volk's judicial experience, stellar record, and his 
qualifications to become a U.S. district court judge.
  I would also like to acknowledge Frank's work in West Virginia as a 
tireless public servant to both our State and the Nation. He has 
conveyed time and again his love and desire to serve our Nation and 
particularly our great State of West Virginia. He has served with honor 
throughout his career and is willing to step up to the plate one more 
time. He shows the country how West Virginians act and serve.
  I would also like to thank his family, including his wife, Angie, and 
his two children, Garrett and Lauren, for their tremendous support of 
Frank and his continued work as a public servant. He is a proud Italian 
person, like myself.
  He is currently the chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the 
Southern District of West Virginia, where he has worked since he was 
appointed in October of 2015.
  As a WVU College of Law graduate and editor-in-chief of the West 
Virginia Law Review, Frank's resume is extremely impressive.
  He continues to give back to his education. He has taught part time 
at WVU College of Law for almost 15 years. He has taught courses in 
Federal civil rights, advanced torts, bankruptcy, and advanced 
bankruptcy. It is great to see a fellow Mountaineer succeed in their 
profession, and I look forward to seeing his career continue.
  He has also authored a number of bankruptcy articles and spoken at 
national and regional conferences on bankruptcy matters, along with 
being a faculty member for the Federal Judicial Center.

[[Page S5817]]

  Judge Volk is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for 
the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of 
West Virginia, the West Virginia bar, and the Pennsylvania bar.
  During his career, Frank has worked with a number of esteemed judges: 
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge M. Blane Michael, district judges 
Charles H. Haden II and previously John T. Copenhaver, Jr. Frank is 
also a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference.
  Frank has contributed volunteer service to the American Bankruptcy 
Institute for many years. He served most recently as the coordinating 
editor for the ABI Journal, focusing on the ``Problems in the Code'' 
column.
  Even with all of those accolades, Frank knows and understands the 
value of hard work because he is a West Virginian through and through, 
and that is just what we do.
  The Federal bench that serves West Virginia needs judges who are 
thoughtful, hard-working, and have good judgment. Frank fits that role. 
Frank brings such a great level of experience to the bench. I can 
safely say I am pleased that President Trump has nominated him to be a 
U.S. district court judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern 
District of West Virginia. I think we all will be served well by 
Frank's service.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.