[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 184 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S6868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Judicial Nominations

  Finally, Mr. President, on judges, later today, the Senate will vote 
to confirm two highly qualified and talented public servants to serve 
as lifetime appointments to the Federal bench: Camille Velez-Rive, to 
serve as district judge for Puerto Rico, and Anne Nardacci, to serve as 
district judge for the Northern District of New York.
  An Albany native and one of the first women who would sit on the 
bench, Anne Nardacci represents Upstate New York perfectly. She is the 
kind of bread-and-butter candidate that Upstate New Yorkers like, and 
she has built a career taking on special interests. So people in the 
Northern District of New York will not have to worry that she won't 
represent them when others come before the court who are special and 
powerful but don't have the right arguments.

  For the last 2 years, one of my top priorities has been making sure 
we restore a sense of balance, impartiality, and experience to the 
Federal bench, and now that Democrats will keep our majority in the 
next Congress, that will continue unabated.
  We have made historic progress so far. In the last 2 years, we have 
confirmed 85 judges to the Federal bench--the best pace since the 
Clinton administration. Those 85 judges comprise perhaps the most 
diverse collection of new jurists we have ever seen. Seventy-five 
percent of these new judges are women. I am so proud of that. Two-
thirds are people of color. I am so proud of that. Many of them come 
from professional backgrounds we rarely see in judicial nominees. I am 
proud of that as well. But we are not yet done. We are going to hit the 
ground running when the new year begins, and our democracy will 
unquestionably be better off for it.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative 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for the quorum call be rescinded.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.