[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 150 (Monday, September 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4550-S4551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Vernon D. Oliver

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I am very pleased and proud to speak 
to my colleagues today about Vernon Oliver, whose nomination is before 
us. We will vote on it shortly. I anticipate that he will be approved, 
and I hope it will be with bipartisan support because Vernon Oliver 
represents exactly the kind of jurist, lawyer, public servant whom we 
want on the Federal bench.
  Judges on our Federal trial courts are often the face and voice of 
justice. All too often, litigants are there for justice, and it is the 
end of the road for them one way or the other because they don't have 
the resources to appeal to the courts of appeal, which sit in other 
States, far away often, requiring expenditure of resources. So that 
district judge sitting in the court where, often, they live is the 
person who represents justice--the face and voice of justice--for them.
  Vernon Oliver is exactly the kind of person who will be trusted to 
give justice. He grew up in Bridgeport, with not a lot in his home in 
the way of financial resources. He worked hard, went to the University 
of Connecticut for his B.A. and then for his J.D. The University of 
Connecticut prepared him for a life of public service, and that is what 
he has done, with a brief break for private practice and as a temporary 
assistant clerk for the Hartford Judicial District.
  He joined the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, serving in 
the Office of the Chief State's Attorney, and then as a prosecutor in 
the Bristol Superior Court.
  Then I had the great honor to hire Vernon Oliver to be an assistant 
attorney general. And I say I had the great honor because when I knew 
him first, when I met him, I knew he was the kind of person who would 
be a really superior, extraordinary assistant attorney general.
  He went to work in the child protection unit, which essentially tries 
to protect children from abuse and neglect, tries to hold families 
together or reach some resolution when there is violence or other kind 
of dispute that divides them.
  Here is what I learned about Vernon Oliver: He has a strong mind, he 
has a big heart, and he has a passion for justice. He handled dozens, 
hundreds, thousands of those cases over the time that he served as an 
assistant attorney general, and each one of them required him to focus 
his mind and his heart and that passion for justice. He took every one 
of them seriously, the same seriousness for every one. They are often 
extremely demanding, not just intellectually but emotionally, and he 
stepped up. He showed the fiber of his character.
  He was nominated in 2009 to be a judge on the Connecticut Superior 
Court. His nomination was done by a Republican Governor, Jodi Rell. 
Throughout his 15 years on the bench, he has presided over numerous 
civil and criminal cases, including approximately 30 bench trials, 
approximately 20 jury trials, and thousands of hearings.
  You don't really need to listen to me about Vernon Oliver; you can go 
to his colleagues, the legal community of Connecticut. A group of 
Connecticut attorneys, many of whom have practiced in front of Judge 
Oliver, wrote that he has ``an exceptionally keen legal mind'' and ``is 
committed to the fair and impartial administration of justice.'' The 
George W. Crawford Black Bar Association noted that ``[Judge Oliver's] 
decisions are well reasoned and thoughtful'' and that ``[p]ut simply, 
he is a phenomenal judge.''
  He is a phenomenal person, not just an extraordinary judge. That is 
why Connecticut State Representative Christie Carpino, a Republican, 
wrote this to the committee, our committee, the Judiciary Committee: 
``[Judge Oliver's] breadth of knowledge in both criminal and civil law, 
as well as the diversity of his judicial assignments, makes him 
uniquely qualified to be appointed to the federal bench'' and that ``he 
has the demeanor one could only hope all jurists possess.''
  I take this time to talk to my colleagues because I think we need to 
be mindful of a standard, a standard of excellence on our Federal 
bench. I thank and commend President Biden for this

[[Page S4551]]

nomination because he has recognized the importance of diversity, as 
well as high performance intellectually, and he has enabled us, I 
think, to raise that standard.
  Judge Oliver is a perfect example of that standard, and he is the 
gold standard we are seeking to achieve and I believe we are achieving 
when we confirm him and others who have those same qualities.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.