[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 25, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



             Unanimous Consent Requests--Executive Calendar

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, shortly, I will ask for unanimous consent 
to confirm Rahkel Bouchet and John Truong to be associate judges for 
the District of Columbia Superior Court. The DC Superior Court 
functions as the State-level trial court in the Nation's Capital. 
Vacancies on the superior court bench have been straining the court, 
delaying justice for individuals and families all across the District.

  Judge Bouchet and Mr. Truong each have the expertise and the 
temperament needed to serve on the superior court and are committed to 
serving the people of the District of Columbia.
  Judge Bouchet has served as a magistrate judge for the District of 
Columbia's Superior Court since 2016 and is currently the deputy 
presiding magistrate judge. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Bouchet 
served as a clinical law professor and spent over 15 years in private 
practice, focusing on family and criminal law.
  Mr. Truong is currently a Deputy Chief in the Civil Division of the 
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where he has 
served since 2013. He previously served as assistant U.S. attorney in 
the office's Criminal Division, where he prosecuted misdemeanor and 
felony crimes in the DC Superior Court.
  Mr. President, these are not controversial nominees. They were vetted 
and recommended to the President by an independent local commission and 
received bipartisan support in my committee. In fact, former President 
Trump has also nominated Judge Bouchet and Mr. Truong to serve on the 
DC Superior Court.
  The people of the District deserve to have the empty seats on the 
superior court filled by qualified judges, and I urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting these nominees.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the 
following nomination: Calendar No. 770, Rahkel Bouchet, of the District 
of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the 
District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years; that the Senate 
vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that, if 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's 
action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. HAGERTY. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Michigan.
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 771, John Cuong Truong, 
of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior 
Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years; that 
the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; 
that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. HAGERTY. Mr. President, I object. Reserving the right to object, 
this summer, several of us made clear that, given the unprecedented 
lawfare by the Biden-Harris administration against President Trump, we 
will not consent to fast-tracking any judicial nominees before the 
coming election, and we are keeping our word on that.
  If Democrats truly want these nominees confirmed, Senator Schumer can 
schedule them for votes. The truth is, they don't care enough about 
these nominations to do that so they are trying to confirm them this 
way, with the fast-track process.
  Look, I have firsthand experience with this process. In 2017, Senate 
Democrats forced floor votes and 30 hours of postcloture time on my 
confirmation to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan under President Trump. So I 
am not standing in the way of confirmation. As promised, though, I will 
not fast-track judicial confirmations before the election, when the 
American people will get a chance to reject the politicized 
administration of justice that is occurring here in America right now. 
We clearly stated this position, and now we are following through on 
it. Therefore, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from Michigan.

                          ____________________