[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:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  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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