[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6199]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 THE CONFIRMATION OF DANIEL BREEN TO BE A UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 
                 FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am in strong support of Judge Daniel 
Breen to be United States District Judge for the Western District of 
Tennessee.
  For more than a decade Judge Breen has admirably served the state of 
Tennessee's Western District as a United States Magistrate Judge. 
Before assuming this position in the Jackson and Memphis area, he 
practiced law in most of the surrounding West Tennessee counties for 
sixteen years.
  Judge Breen graduated first in his class from Spring Hill College and 
later graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law. His 
list of bar-related and civic activities is long and distinguished: 
President of the Tennessee Bar Association, Subcommittee Chair in the 
American Bar Association, Executive Committee member of the West 
Tennessee Council Boy Scouts of America, and a Lifetime Board Member of 
the West Tennessee Cerebral Palsy Center. As you can tell, his roots 
are deep with the people he serves.
  In addition to an active civil trial docket, Judge Breen is also 
recognized as an effective mediator, and an instructor and author on 
alternative dispute resolution. He has made a broad range of 
contributions to the bar, as well as the State and Federal courts. This 
work has earned him the respect of the local legal community. I have 
heard from many in the Tennessee bar praising Judge Breen's 
thoughtfulness and judicial temperament. Judge Breen is a dedicated, 
hard working and even-handed jurist.
  Judge Breen's record has prepared him to be ready for this job 
beginning on day one. I am honored to support his confirmation, and I 
know he will serve the Western District of Tennessee as a U.S. District 
Judge with distinction. I thank my colleagues for voting for his 
confirmation.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I am pleased today to support Judge John 
Breen, who has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the 
Western District of Tennessee.
  Judge Breen has served on both sides of the bench with distinction. 
Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee Law School in 1975, he 
entered private practice by joining the Jackson firm of Waldrop & Hall. 
He is one of the few lawyers these days who spent his entire litigating 
career with a single firm. His area of expertise was general civil 
litigation. In addition to representing insurance companies and self-
insured businesses, he also represented individual clients in real 
estate, commercial, corporate and estate planning matters.
  Judge Breen has made a broad range of contributions to the bar. He 
served as the President of the Tennessee Bar Association, which 
reflects the high esteem in which his colleagues hold him. He also 
served on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Bar Foundation. In 
the course of his career, he has accepted many appointments to 
represent indigent criminal defendants in State and Federal court. 
Judge Breen also provided many hours of pro bono service for West 
Tennessee Legal Services.
  Since 1991, Judge Breen has served as a Federal magistrate judge, 
where he has handled a broad array of evidentiary hearings and issued 
many reports and recommendations. In addition, Judge Breen is also 
recognized as an effective mediator, as well as an instructor and 
author on alternative dispute resolution.
  The American Bar Association rated Judge Breen unanimously well 
qualified, its highest rating. I am confident that he will serve on the 
bench with integrity, intelligence and fairness.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I support the nomination of John Daniel 
Breen to be a United States District Judge for the Western District of 
Tennessee. I am pleased that the Senate has moved so expeditiously to 
confirm this exceptional nominee.
  Mr. Breen is currently a United States Judge in the Western District 
of Tennessee. Judge Breen was recommended last year by the current 
Senate Majority Leader, my colleague, Senator Frist, and former Senator 
Thompson. I am pleased to add my voice in support of his nomination. As 
someone who, as Governor of Tennessee appointed some 50 judges, I am 
confident that Judge Breen will continue to be an able Federal judge 
when he is confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Western 
District of Tennessee.
  Judge Breen was born and raised in Jackson, TN. He was a summa cum 
laude graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL in 1972, and was 
valedictorian of his class. He received his Juris Doctorate from the 
University of Tennessee College of Law in 1975, where he served as a 
member of the law review.
  After receiving his law degree, Judge Breen worked for sixteen years 
with the law firm of Waldrop and Hall, P.A. in Jackson, TN. Judge Breen 
has been a United States Judge for the Western District of Tennessee 
since 1991 and has an excellent reputation in this position.
  Judge Breen has vast litigation experience. As a practicing attorney, 
he practiced general civil litigation primarily in the areas of tort 
law and workers' compensation. Judge Breen was involved in litigating 
one of the premier lawsuits in Tennessee in the 1990's, which resulted 
in the adoption of comparative negligence.
  Judge Breen has been actively involved and held leadership positions 
in local, State and national bar associations throughout his legal 
career. He has also been extremely active in his community by, among 
other things, providing pro bono legal services to disadvantaged 
persons and serving as a member on a variety of community 
organizations.
  I am confident that Judge Breen will be a fine United States District 
Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and I thank all my 
colleagues who supported this nomination.

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