[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CONFIRMATION OF H. BRENT McKNIGHT TO THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE 
                   WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

 Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I am very pleased that last night 
the Senate voted to confirm Brent McKnight, an outstanding North 
Carolina lawyer and jurist, to the U.S. District Court for the Western 
District of North Carolina.
  Judge McKnight, currently serving as U.S. Magistrate, has a stellar 
record of achievement and excellence. A native of Mooresville, North 
Carolina, he received his BA from the University of North Carolina 
Chapel Hill and his law degree at the University of North Carolina 
School of Law. He was a Rhodes Scholar, earning an MA and Diploma in 
Theology at Oxford University.
  Judge McKnight served as Assistant District Attorney for the State of 
North Carolina from 1982 through 1988, when he was elected District 
Court Judge for the 26th North Carolina Judicial District. During this 
time, we in North Carolina first saw the superior qualities that Judge 
McKnight brought to the bench--temperance, fairness, attention to 
detail and an abiding commitment to and concern for equal justice under 
the law. In fact, after just four years on the bench, Judge McKnight 
received a 97% approval rating from attorneys polled by Court Watch of 
North Carolina.
  After four years of exemplary service on the North Carolina state 
court, Judge McKnight was appointed a United States Magistrate in May 
1993. Judge McKnight has continued to build his reputation as an 
outstanding judge, earning the respect of lawyers and litigants 
throughout the state.
  I can't tell you how many calls and letters I have received from 
people from across North Carolina telling me what an exceptional jurist 
and person Brent McKnight is. These folks attest to Judge McKnight's 
impeccable legal professionalism, both as a prosecutor and a Judge. I 
have no doubt that Judge McKnight will continue this record of 
excellence as a United States District Judge.
  I was delighted to wholeheartedly support the nomination of Brent 
McKnight and am pleased that the full Senate has confirmed him to the 
United States District Court for the Western District of North 
Carolina. I wish him and his family--his wife Beth and their three 
boys, Brent, Matthew and Steven--well as he embarks on this next phase 
of his admirable career. I am confident that Judge McKnight, a 
consensus nominee who represents the mainstream of our state, will 
continue to serve the people of North Carolina and the United States 
with distinction.

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