[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 144 (Thursday, September 8, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the related subject, obviously, of 
judges, today the Senate will continue fulfilling its constitutional 
duty to confirm more judges to sit on our Federal judiciary.
  It has really been a productive week here on the floor when it comes 
to judges. Yesterday, we confirmed John Lee to serve a lifetime 
appointment as circuit judge on the Seventh Circuit, the first Asian 
American to ever sit on that court.
  Today, we will confirm another circuit judge--Andre Mathis--to sit on 
the Sixth Circuit. When confirmed, Mathis will be the 78th judge we 
have confirmed under President Biden--more than President Trump, more 
than President Obama, more than President Bush had confirmed up to this 
point. It is a great record. We are proud of it, and we aren't done.
  Later this afternoon, we will begin working on our third--our third--
circuit court judge of the week, Salvador Mendoza, to sit on the Ninth 
Circuit. After we vote on cloture today, Members should expect to vote 
on his confirmation as early as the beginning of next week. Moving 
forward, it will be one of our top priorities to confirm as many judges 
as possible. It is one of the best things we can do with our time here 
on the floor, especially given how many MAGA-type judges President 
Trump and the Republican majority appointed.
  The lion's share of legal disputes never make it to the Supreme 
Court, giving those who preside in the lower courts immense power to 
affect the lives of the American people. And, of course, when they get 
it wrong--as they have all too frequently recently--the results can be 
disastrous.
  Just yesterday, a hard-right judge in Texas, as I mentioned, stripped 
away Americans' rights to access preventive care. Over 150 million 
Americans could now be at risk of losing everything from breast cancer 
screenings to cholesterol screenings, free vaccinations, mental health 
assessments, and so much more. Add that to the previous case I 
mentioned before, and you can see that judges are out of control, far 
away from what most Americans want, foisted upon us by the Republican 
Senate majority, President Trump, and a small band of rightwing, MAGA 
billionaires.
  In the long run, this decision could mean more people get sick or die 
needlessly simply because they can't afford preventive care to stay 
healthy. That is the kind of thing that is at stake when it comes to 
judges.
  It is a frightening reminder of the difference between our side and 
the hard right, the MAGA hard right, the extreme MAGA hard right. 
Whether through judges or legislation, the hard right remains 
obsessed--obsessed--with stripping away people's rights to affordable 
healthcare. It is dangerous. It is malicious. It is wildly out of step 
with the American people.
  Democrats want something different. We want to protect people's 
healthcare, not destroy it. We want judges who will preserve long-
established precedent, not obliterate it, who will move us forward on 
our fight to equality, not take steps backward. And in the coming weeks 
and months, we will maintain a laser-like focus on confirming judges 
who will do the kinds of things that we believe must be done in 
America.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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