[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Justin Walker

  Mr. President, speaking of nominations, this morning our colleagues 
on the Judiciary Committee are examining the qualifications of Judge 
Justin Walker. Judge Walker is a fellow Kentuckian. He is a district 
judge of the Western District of Kentucky, and he is President Trump's 
nominee to serve on our second most important Federal Court, the Court 
of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
  I am grateful to Chairman Graham and all the other chairmen who are 
finding creative ways to conduct important business. The Senate is 
demonstrating that the work of governing must and can continue, albeit 
in new ways.
  So to respect this time of social distancing, I am going to offer my 
introduction here on the floor instead of over in the committee. Since 
Judge Walker was tapped to serve the people of Kentucky on the Federal 
district bench, he wasted no time in expanding his strong reputation 
for intellectual brilliance, legal acumen, and total fairness and 
impartiality.
  In just the last few weeks, Judge Walker has won national attention 
for an eloquent and persuasive opinion that forcefully defended 
Kentuckians' basic First Amendment freedom of religion, and he has 
earned a ``well-qualified'' rating from the left-leaning American Bar 
Association that Senate Democrats, like my friend the Democratic 
leader, have frequently described as ``the gold standard.''
  Let me say that again. In the span of just a couple of weeks, almost 
simultaneously, Judge Walker has won praise from religious freedom 
advocates nationwide and the approval of the ABA, which Democrats call 
``the gold standard.'' That illustrates the kind of impressive 
individual the committee is considering this morning.
  Already, Judge Walker's reputation as a brilliant legal rising star 
precedes him. Yet, when you consider the full scope of his education 
and experience, it is hardly a surprise. Judge Walker graduated from 
Duke University summa cum laude. He graduated from Harvard Law School 
magna cum laude, and he edited the Law Review.
  He had prestigious clerkships at the DC Circuit for then-Judge Brett 
Kavanaugh and at the Supreme Court for then-Justice Anthony Kennedy. He 
learned at the elbows of legal giants. Then, he moved on to skilled 
performance in private practice, and then to distinguished scholarship 
at the University of Louisville Law School, with particular expertise 
in national security, administrative law, and the separation of powers.
  Indeed, it is an impressive record. As Kentucky's secretary of State, 
Mike Adams, put it recently, ``Judge Walker is more than just a 
[C.V.].'' Hence, the outpouring of praise from his peers, colleagues, 
and neighbors in Kentucky who know him well. One hundred Kentucky 
lawyers, many of whom have practiced before Judge Walker in the 
district court, wrote to praise his ``courage to apply precedent 
faithfully.'' Sixteen State attorneys general wrote to share their 
confidence in Judge Walker's ability to ``weigh the facts against the 
law as it is written . . . not as he wishes it to be.''
  I am confident our colleagues on the committee will find that this 
nominee possesses a generational legal mind, a kind heart, and total 
judicial impartiality.
  President Trump made an outstanding choice when he asked this 
Kentuckian to take his public service to the next level. I am confident 
Judge Walker will not disappoint. I urge the committee to approve his 
nomination. I look forward to voting to confirm him soon here on the 
Senate floor.
  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. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.