[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 13413]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     CONFIRMATION OF GEORGE SINGAL

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate has confirmed 
George Singal, the President's nominee for a seat on the U.S. District 
Court for the District of Maine, and rise to express my strong 
unequivocal support for his nomination.
  In advance, I would like to thank the Chairman of the Judiciary 
Committee, Senator Hatch, for proceeding so expeditiously on Mr. 
Singal's nomination--especially when considering his nomination was 
transmitted to the Senate just six weeks ago. In addition, I would like 
to thank the Majority Leader for bringing his nomination to the floor 
so rapidly--just three days after being reported by the Judiciary 
Committee.
  George Singal immigrated along with his family to the United States 
at a very young age, and has become a living embodiment of the American 
dream. He possesses a superior legal mind, has distinguished himself 
within the legal profession, and is deeply committed to upholding the 
very highest standards of our nation's judicial system.
  Moreover, Mr. Singal has a wide range of experience serving as both a 
prosecutor and as a defense attorney--a deep understanding and 
appreciation for the constitutionally mandated roles of the three 
branches of government--and the enormous respect of his colleagues, a 
number of whom have contacted me in support of his nomination. Finally, 
and just as telling, he enjoys bipartisan support across the State of 
Maine.
  Consider what George's background says about his character and 
qualifications. Born in a refugee camp in Italy after his family fled 
before the German invasion of his native Poland, he arrived in Bangor 
along with his sister and widowed mother in 1949.
  After graduating summa cum laude from my alma mater, the University 
of Maine in 1967, and becoming only the second recipient of the highly 
respected Root-Tilden Scholarship in the history of the university, 
George briefly left our state to receive his law degree from Harvard 
University three years later.
  Indeed, not one to forget his roots, George immediately returned to 
Maine to begin his legal career in Bangor, serving as the Assistant 
County Attorney for Penobscot County from 1971 to 1973, even as he 
worked his way to a partnership in the respected law firm of Gross, 
Minsky, Mogul, & Singal--the firm in which he has remained to this day.
  Having served on a wide variety of professional committees--including 
the advisory committee for the District of Maine that was assembled 
pursuant to the Civil Justice Reform Act--George's impeccable 
credentials and reputation for impartiality led to his appointment in 
1993 to the Governor's Judicial Selection Committee by my husband, 
Governor McKernan.
  That appointment, and the fact that he now chairs this prestigious 
committee that assists in the appointment of judges across the state 
under Independent Governor Angus King, is why it's a special pleasure 
for me to speak on his behalf today.
  Of note, the enthusiastic support George has received from both sides 
of the aisle in Maine speaks volumes about Mr. Singal's talents and 
work ethic, as well as the universal respect he has earned over his 
years of work in the Maine judicial system.
  Throughout his career, Mr. Singal displayed remarkable legal acumen, 
thanks in large part to his thorough, reflective and balanced approach 
to his work. This approach has justifiably earned him accolades 
throughout his career, including his selection to the American College 
of Trial Lawyers--an award given to less than one percent of trial 
lawyers nationwide--and his naming to the Best Lawyers in America, a 
designation that is made by his colleagues in the legal profession.
  Mr. Singal possesses precisely the kind of judicial temperament and 
experience I think we should expect from all our judicial nominees. I 
am certain this is due, in no small part, to his family's background 
and the perseverance and work ethic they instilled in him as an 
immigrant brought to the United States by the ravages of World War II.
  Further, his work during the late-1960s in the office of then-
Congressman Bill Hathaway undoubtedly impressed upon him the need for 
balance between the three branches of government. In fact, it is his 
broad range of experiences that has undoubtedly instilled in Mr. Singal 
a proper perspective on the appropriate role and appropriate 
constitutional limitations of each branch of our government.
  Clearly, George Singal has not only the professional qualifications 
to serve us well on the federal circuit, but also the personal 
credentials to match.
  My work with George over the past few weeks has only confirmed what I 
had already heard--this is a man of the highest integrity and personal 
character.
  In conclusion, I am most proud to be able to express my support for 
Mr. George Singal. He has the qualifications, the intellect, the 
experience, the perspective, and the integrity to be an outstanding 
judge. Accordingly, I am pleased that my colleagues support his 
confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.

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