[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Confirmation Of Ketanji Brown Jackson
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, an hour or so ago on the floor of the
Senate was an amazing sight. It has been a long, long time since I have
seen the Galleries full. COVID-19 kept us apart. I missed it. I didn't
realize how much until those full Galleries were here to witness the
vote on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme
Court.
It was a time of great celebration for most Members of the Senate and
I think for the Nation because we have achieved something which many
doubted would occur.
It has been 50 years since the first African American--Thurgood
Marshall--was appointed to be a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. It
was another 50 years for us to wait for the opportunity to put a
person, a woman of color, on the Court. And we did it today.
Soon, in the coming future, the President will be swearing in Judge,
now-Justice Jackson. I am certain that she will be a credit to our
Nation. She has already proven that in her lifetime of service.
Many Members of the Senate, of course, were excited and happy about
it. I was one of them. I want to thank my colleagues for their kind
words, but I also want to acknowledge the obvious.
All of the hard work that led up to this successful vote happened a
lot behind the scenes. There were members of our staff who worked long
hours--20-hour days--to prepare for this and to be ready to handle the
important Judiciary Committee hearings. I would like to acknowledge the
staff members on both sides of the aisle who worked tirelessly on Judge
Jackson's nomination.
I have got quite a team on my side, and I am very proud of them. I
want to recognize the following individuals who played an important
part in this historic process: Pat Souders, my chief of staff; Joe
Zogby, my Senate Judiciary Committee staff director; Dan Swanson,
general counsel; Stephanie Trifone, deputy general counsel; Sally
Brown-Shaklee, my deputy chief of staff; Maalik Simmons and Miriam
Wheatley, my floor staff who are often sitting right in the back of
this Chamber; Claire Reuschel and Riley Foti, my schedulers; my press
staff, including Emily Hampsten, my communications director; Jenna
Valle-Riestra; Maddie Carlos; Theresa Bordenave; and Laura Keller, and
many others on my Judiciary team, including Phil Brest, who was my
chief nominations counsel--he worked so hard on this, and he is so
good--Sarah Bauer, who was right by his side working every minute; and
Gabe Kader, as well; Ziya Smallens, speechwriter; Joe Charlet;
Vaishalee Yeldandi; Maggie Hopkins; Anna Shepard; David Adeleye; Eric
Chung; Eliza Lehner; Samir Sheth; David McCallum; Mady Reno; Katya
Kazmin; Rachel Martinez, Yashi Gunawardena; Doug Miller; Chastidy
Burns; Nicole Walton; Lane Giardina; and many, many others.
I also would like to recognize some members of Senator Grassley's
staff. Now, he--for those who wouldn't know--is my Republican
counterpart. I chair a committee evenly divided--11 to 11--and Senator
Grassley is in charge of the Republican side. We have developed a
strong friendship and trust over the years that really meant a lot
during this process.
I want to recognize Senator Grassley's staff members, in particular:
Kolan Davis, his staff director of many years; Brendan Chestnut, his
chief nominations counsel; and Lauren Mehler, his senior counsel for
nominations.
Our two staffs worked very well together in this process, and I
really appreciate that. I want to thank Senator Grassley, again, for
it.
I want to thank the committee's nondesignated staff, including
Heather Vachon, Michelle Heller, Bryan Palmer, Kara Dubbs, Shannon
Bartley, Chuck Papirmeister, and others.
I want to also express my gratitude to the larger Senate community
who played a part in Judge Jackson's nomination process: the staff of
the Architect of the Capitol, the Sergeant at Arms, and of course the
men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police Force who were critical to the
success of the hearing and markups for Judge Jackson's nomination. More
than 1,000 people occupied the chairs in the back of the committee room
in the 4 days of hearings. It was the largest gathering, largest crowd,
short of the State of the Union Address, in modern memory on the
Senate. And today's Gallery attendance, again, was something, a welcome
change from the forlorn empty Chamber's Galleries that we have come to
be used to.
I also want to thank and add the names of the Senate staff who were
so instrumental in supporting the committee's proceedings.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record
a list of Senate staff who were instrumental in supporting the
committee's proceedings.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
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Ronda Stewart............................. SAA--Security Planning and
Police Coordination
Director
Wendy Colmore............................. SAA--Access Control and
Transportation Director
Jaivon Gibbs.............................. SAA--Police Coordination
Analyst
Amanda Simmons............................ SAA--Senior Program Manager
Mike Mastrian............................. SAA--Radio & TV Director
Erin Yeatman.............................. SAA--Sr. Media Relations
Coordinator
Tamara Robinson........................... SAA--Media Relations
Coordinator
Charles Moxley............................ SAA--Media Relations
Coordinator
Jeff Kent................................. SAA--Press Photographers
Director
Mark Abraham.............................. SAA--Press Photographers
Deputy Director
Tricia Munro.............................. SAA--Press Photographers,
Senior Assistant Director
Matt Grant................................ SAA--Press Photographers,
Assistant Director
Justin Wilson............................. SAA--Periodical Press
Director
Spencer Barks............................. SAA--Media Relations
Coordinator
Lindsey Bowen............................. SAA--Media Relations
Coordinator
Laura Lytle............................... SAA--Daily Press Director
Kristyn Socknat........................... SAA--Daily Press, Sr. Media
Relations Coordinator
Amy Gross................................. SAA--Daily Press, Sr. Media
Relations Coordinator
Kate Leavitt.............................. SAA--Daily Press, Media
Relations Assistant
Inspector John Erickson................... USCP Senate Division
Captain Kenneth Wheeler................... USCP Senate Division
Captain Matthew Tighe..................... USCP Senate Division
Lieutenant Vidal Adams.................... USCP Senate Division
Sergeant Adam Descamp..................... USCP Senate Division
Sergeant David Van Benschoten............. USCP Senate Division
Sergeant John Ruskoski.................... USCP Senate Division
Sergeant Howard Jaslow.................... USCP Senate Division
Sergeant Jeffery Andrews.................. USCP Senate Division
Sergeant Charles Nelson................... USCP Senate Division
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Mr. DURBIN. With that, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Warnock). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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