[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 201 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7101-S7102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOMINATION OF TAYLOR B. McNEEL

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the nomination 
of Taylor Brantley McNeel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern 
District of Mississippi. We will vote in a few minutes on the first 
vote for this outstanding nominee, the cloture vote, and then I have 
every reason to believe that tomorrow, this outstanding candidate will 
be confirmed for elevation to the U.S. District Court of the Southern 
District of Mississippi.
  Sometimes when we vote, those confirmation votes are party-line 
votes. I think, happily, many times they are bipartisan. Based on 
conversations across the aisle, I have every reason to believe that the 
vote on Taylor McNeel will, in fact, be bipartisan. I certainly hope it 
will be because his support back home in Mississippi is certainly 
bipartisan and multicultural because he is such an outstanding 
individual and such an outstanding attorney and an outstanding member 
of our State community.
  Taylor McNeel's life has been marked by excellence at every point. Of 
course, he is a great lawyer. He is a partner in the law firm of 
Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, where he oversees the gulf coast 
office for this large law firm. Taylor McNeel has led a distinguished 
career in the firm, with extensive experience in both bench and jury 
trials in Federal and State courts. He has served as lead counsel for 
numerous appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the Mississippi 
Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 
His clients include individuals, government entities, and businesses 
covering a vast range of law.
  I believe Senators should be impressed also by his work on behalf of 
disadvantaged members of our community back home. He maintains a strong 
pro bono practice, representing clients who would not normally be able 
to afford legal services. I think he is to be commended for that.
  His academic credentials are impeccable. He was a cum laude graduate 
from the University of Mississippi, where he received his undergraduate 
degree. As an undergraduate, he was an outstanding athlete as well as 
leader. He was a member of the Ole Miss Rebel football team and was 
elected senior class president of that outstanding university.
  He went on to receive his juris doctor degree cum laude from the 
University of Mississippi School of Law, where he served on the 
Mississippi Law Journal.
  Taylor McNeel has been widely recognized as a young lawyer to watch. 
He has been named a Mid-South Rising Star in business litigation for 8 
years in a row and has been listed 3 years in a row in the 40 & Under 
Hot List for the United States in benchmark litigation. Is it any 
wonder, then, that he has received a unanimous ``qualified'' rating by 
the American Bar Association? Of course, we know that the highest 
rating a candidate for district judge can receive is the rating of 
``qualified,'' and the fact that this was done unanimously by the 
committee--it just doesn't get any better than that for a candidate for 
district judge.
  It is important to note also that Mr. McNeel is an outstanding and 
active member in his community and is widely respected there. He serves 
on the school board of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. I might 
add that is a racially diverse school district. He is an elder in his 
church, First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula, and he has been a 
member of the Rotary Club of Biloxi.
  Pascagoula is in Jackson County, where he is an outstanding citizen. 
Biloxi is in Harrison County, and he is a

[[Page S7102]]

leader there. They are two of our most populous counties in the State 
of Mississippi, and he stands head and shoulders above the crowd in 
both of those.
  He has been president of the Harrison County Bar Association and 
holds memberships in the American Inns of Court, the Federal Bar 
Association, Fifth Circuit Bar Association, and the Federalist Society.
  Taylor and his wife Jessica have three children: Mollie, age 10; 
Taylor, age 7; and Brantley Rose, born on the 2nd day of this month.
  He has his hands full. I think he will be able to balance being a dad 
as well as a district judge. He has outstanding qualifications in the 
academic field, the judicial field, and his personal qualifications are 
absolutely out of this world. I am confident he will serve the Southern 
District of Mississippi and our country well if confirmed.
  We will vote on cloture in a few moments. Again, I am sincerely 
hoping and believe we will--based on conversations--have a bipartisan 
vote, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on the 
confirmation of Taylor McNeel.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont

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