[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 92 (Monday, June 1, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NOMINATION OF KATHLEEN LANE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the Senate will soon vote on the 
nomination of Kathleen Lane, President Trump's nominee to serve as a 
lifetime appointment and judge on the U.S. District Court for the 
District of Montana.
  There are more than 3,000 licensed attorneys in the State of Montana. 
You would believe that the White House in finding a Federal judge for a 
lifetime appointment would be able to find among those 3,000-plus 
licensed attorneys in Montana one with experience having served as a 
judge.
  Instead, President Trump has selected Ms. Lane. Ms. Lane is not 
remotely qualified to serve as a district court judge in the Federal 
system. That is not my opinion; that is the official finding by the 
American Bar Association.
  Ms. Lane is the first judicial nominee to receive a ``not qualified'' 
rating from the ABA during President Trump's second term. As the 
American Bar Association explained in finding this rating, it is 
``based on issues with her experience, which is an important component 
of competence.''
  The organization found that Ms. Lane had failed to gain ``substantial 
courtroom and trial experience in the less than nine years since she 
was admitted to the bar.''
  As the ABA detailed:

       Ms. Lane [has] never tried a case as lead counsel, whether 
     civil or criminal.

  Moreover, as the ABA noted:

       [I]t appears she has never conducted a direct examination 
     [in a courtroom], picked a jury, or offered an opening 
     statement or a closing argument.

  Putting this lady on the bench for a lifetime appointment to the 
Federal court would be like selecting an umpire for tonight's Major 
League Baseball game who has never even worked a Little League game.
  Ms. Lane's experience is disqualifying. Now my Republican colleagues 
may claim that the ABA, American Bar Association, is a partisan 
organization, but over the past year, the ABA has rated dozens of Trump 
nominees ``qualified'' or ``well qualified.'' Ms. Lane is the only one 
who has received a ``not qualified'' rating.
  Not only has her legal career been extremely brief, but it has also 
been extremely partisan. Ms. Lane currently works at the Republican 
National Committee, which President Trump highlighted when he announced 
her nomination.
  She certainly may not have courtroom experience, but she has got 
experience at the so-called MAGA think tank.
  He claimed, the President claimed, that Ms. Lane ``played a critical 
role in stopping Voter Fraud . . . at the Republican National 
Committee.''
  He believes that qualifies her for a lifetime appointment to the 
Federal court.
  But before she went to work for the Republican National Committee, 
Ms. Lane repeatedly chose to litigate politically charged issues and 
worked to limit women's rights, voting rights, and the rights of LGBTQ 
Americans.
  Ms. Lane is not the person for this job. She is too ideological, too 
inexperienced for the role to which she has been nominated.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose her nomination.

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