[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15942-15943]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

 NOMINATION OF LESLIE JOYCE ABRAMS TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 
                   FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF MARK HOWARD COHEN TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR 
                    THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA

                                 ______
                                 

 NOMINATION OF ELEANOR LOUISE ROSS TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 
                  FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations, 
which the clerk will report.


                (Disturbance in the Visitors' Galleries)

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sergeant at Arms will restore order in the 
gallery.
  The bill clerk read the nominations of Leslie Joyce Abrams, of 
Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of 
Georgia; Mark Howard Cohen, of Georgia, to be United States District 
Judge for the Northern District of Georgia; and Eleanor Louise Ross, of 
Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District 
of Georgia.


                           Abrams Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote on the Abrams 
confirmation.
  The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I yield my time to the two Senators from 
Georgia.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. On behalf of the people of Georgia, the next three votes 
will be three judges for the State of Georgia.
  Senator Chambliss, the senior Senator from Georgia, has done an 
outstanding job of leading our Judiciary Committee to negotiate with 
the President and White House on six nominations, three of which we 
have approved and the final three are tonight.
  I heartily recommend to each Member of the Chamber a vote for Leslie 
Abrams for the Middle District of Georgia, Eleanor Ross for the 
Northern District of Georgia, and Mark Cohen for the Northern District 
of Georgia. All are extremely competent, talented individuals.
  I thank the Obama administration and all those who worked with us to 
come up with a package of judges to fill the vacancies in the State of 
Georgia.
  I yield to Senator Chambliss.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. I join with my colleague Senator Isakson in 
recommending that all of our colleagues vote for all three of these 
judges: Judge Eleanor Ross, Judge Mark Cohen, and Judge Leslie Abrams--
or future judges in all three cases. They are excellent candidates.
  I particularly wish to commend Senator Leahy for working closely with 
us, the President for being willing to sit down and discuss our 
judicial nominations, and particularly former White House Counsel Kathy 
Ruemmler. We would not be here today if Kathy had not demonstrated 
great legal skills in working this package and putting this package 
together.
  I encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of all three of these 
judges.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader.

[[Page 15943]]




                           Keystone Pipeline

  Mr. McCONNELL. I would point out to my colleagues in the Senate that 
consideration of the Keystone Pipeline will be very early in the next 
session of the Senate, of the Congress, and I congratulate Senator 
Hoeven for his good work on this issue.


                       Vote on Abrams Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order the question is, Will 
the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Leslie Joyce Abrams, 
of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District 
of Georgia?
  Mr. CORNYN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  The result was announced--yeas 100, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 281 Ex.]

                               YEAS--100

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden
  The nomination was confirmed.


                        Vote on Cohen Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided prior to the vote on the Cohen 
nomination.
  Mr. REID. I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, all time is yielded back.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Mark Howard Cohen, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge 
for the Northern District of Georgia?
  The nomination was confirmed.


                        Vote on Ross Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided on the Ross nomination.
  Who yields time?
  Mr. REID. I yield back all time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, all time is yielded back.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Eleanor Louise Ross, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge 
for the Northern District of Georgia?
  The nomination was confirmed.

                          ____________________