[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 6, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Judicial Nominations

  Mr. President, on another matter, I want to take a moment to speak 
about one of my highest priorities as chair of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee: the confirmation of highly qualified judges. This is one of 
the great shared successes of President Biden and the Senate Democrats 
and Republicans who have stood with us on some key votes.
  As of today, the Senate has confirmed 76 judges to lifetime positions 
during this 117th Congress. That figure includes Justice Ketanji Brown 
Jackson, an outstanding jurist, the first Black woman to serve on the 
U.S. Supreme Court.
  I would just state that I have been in politics most of my adult 
life. I did not appreciate the impact that the selection of this 
African-American woman would have on the people I represent. Some of 
the toughest, hardest bargaining African-American women that I have 
known in politics have come up to me and, in a moment, broken down in 
tears to thank me for President Biden's leadership and the fact that 
the Senate approved this new Justice. It means that much to them. Her 
historic confirmation was a crowning achievement in our efforts to 
build a system of justice that works on behalf of every American.
  Outside of the Supreme Court, as I mentioned, the Senate has 
confirmed an impressive number of Federal judges: 18 circuit court 
nominees, 57 district court nominees. Why is that important? Because 
the vast majority of cases don't make it to the Supreme Court. They are 
resolved by judges like these nominees, at the district and circuit 
court level.
  Look at the most recent ruling yesterday, in terms of the judge in 
Florida and the special master that has been appointed for the records 
that were removed from Mar-a-Lago. That judge made a critical and 
historic decision. The judges we are approving are in the same position 
to do that, and with each one of the judges we have confirmed, the 
American people can trust that they will apply the law to the facts, 
follow the precedent, and defend the rule of law.

  Now, these 76 judicial appointments are more than a statistic. With 
each confirmation, the Senate has taken a crucial step toward ensuring 
diversity in the Federal judiciary. President Biden and Senate 
Democrats have made it a priority to elevate judicial nominees from 
demographically and professionally diverse backgrounds. Many times, 
Republican Senators have joined us in this effort, and I want to give 
them credit where it is due.
  During the 117th Congress we have shattered records when it comes to 
diversity on the Federal Bench. Of the 18 circuit judges confirmed by 
Senate Democrats, 14 are women and 13 are people of color. And of the 
57 district court judges we have confirmed, 42 of the 57 are women and 
many represent a historic first--the first Muslim American article III 
judge to the first Latina article III judge in the State of Illinois.
  We have confirmed a record number of nominees who have experience 
serving not only as prosecutors but also as public defenders, voting 
rights experts, civil rights attorneys. For too long, the perspectives 
that they represent have not been seen on our benches in Federal 
courts. Thanks to President Biden's leadership and the work of the 
Senate Democrats, the Federal Judiciary now includes many dedicated 
public servants who will help bring balance to the Nation's courts. And 
let me add that some of the key votes came from a handful of Republican 
Senators who have looked at these nominees in an honest fashion.
  Every one of these jurists is highly qualified to serve our Nation 
and the American people. That is a welcome shift from the previous 
administration, which often advanced nominees who simply checked the 
box ``Federalist Society.'' Thankfully, the judges taking the bench 
under President Biden are impartial and evenhanded. All of them will 
continue to administer equal justice under the law.