Richard Durbin

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) and the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, the name ``John Edward Porter'' may not be well known to many people now, but there was a time when he had a special impact on America. I was proud to call him a colleague and my friend. John Porter was a Congressman from Illinois who served at the same time I was a Member of the House. He did some remarkable things in his life. In the famous 10th District, he was a real leader on many issues. He represented that district in Chicago's northern suburbs from 1980 until the year 2001 and for most of the time we served together in the House. I admired him. We always had a good, positive working relationship although we were of different political faiths. He was a leader and a voice for principled, bipartisan cooperation within our Illinois congressional delegation. John Porter passed away last Friday. He was raised in a family where public service was a way of life. He took it to heart. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1958 to 1964 and as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice during the Kennedy administration. He was elected to the House in 1980 when his predecessor, Abner Mikva, resigned to become a Federal judge. The two men were different in political faith, but in many regards, they were the same. Ab Mikva, you see, was a legendary liberal Democrat, the son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine who relied on welfare to survive the Great Depression. John Porter was a fiscally conservative Republican whose father was a judge. But they shared many values. They believed that public service was a noble profession and that government could make life better and that America must remain a beacon of hope for the world. John Porter supported efforts to protect the environment in the earliest days. He championed human rights efforts across the globe and efforts to protect the environment at home. He was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He was a key supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act. John Porter was an independent thinker who defied the National Rifle Association to support a national ban on assault weapons in 1994. It took guts. John Porter did the right thing. His greatest and most visionary contribution to America was in the field of biomedical research. He was chair of the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. He was a driving force in the House behind the successful effort to double the funding for the National Institutes of Health. For those who may not know, the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC, is the leading medical research agency in the world--in the world--and John Porter, this Congressman from Illinois, teamed up with two Senators to take on what seemed like an impossible assignment. He joined with Tom Harkin, a Senator from Iowa, a Democrat, and Arlen Specter, a Senator from Pennsylvania, a Republican. They set out to do the politically impossible--to double the budget for the National Institutes of Health. The new funding came at a critical moment in history. It made possible discoveries that literally changed the world, including the famous Human Genome Project, which Dr. Francis Collins headed up at that time. It was one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, and it happened because John Porter and the Senators I mentioned decided to make certain that the NIH had the resources when they needed it. The mapping of the human genome continues to transform medicine on a daily basis and has provided lifesaving cures all around the world. It is the leadership of NIH Director Dr. Collins and the inspiring example of John Porter that convinced me to try to team up with Senators on the other side of the aisle and do the same in my time in the Senate. I admired John's success so much that I decided to try to make it my own. So I teamed up with Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, and also, of course, with Patty Murray, a Democrat from the State of Washington, and we started our effort to see if we could increase dramatically the National Institutes of Health's budget. We did. We increased it by over 40 percent in the period of time that we have taken on this assignment and more to follow. The NIH recognized Congressman John Porter's invaluable contributions in 2014 by naming its new Neuroscience Research Center in his honor. Loretta and I send our condolences to his wife Amy, their children, stepchildren, and grandchildren, to John's friends and colleagues, and to all who were inspired by his example to make our world and our Nation a better, healthier, safer place.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla), the Senator from New York (Mr. Schumer), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this coming Monday is Memorial Day, the day we set aside to honor the more than 1.1 million Americans who have given their lives in military service to our Nation. It is a solemn day of remembrance and has a special resonance in my state. One of America's first Memorial Day ceremonies occurred in Illinois. It was April 1866--barely a year after the end of America's terrible Civil War. Three returning veterans from that great conflict were waiting for services to begin at a church in Carbondale when they saw a young woman with two infants approach a small, unmarked grave in the church cemetery, place flowers on the grave, and kneel in prayer. The veterans, deeply moved, collected wildflowers and placed them at all of the veterans' graves in the churchyard. They then arranged to host a parade of veterans to honor the war dead resting in the town's cemetery. More than 200 veterans showed up for that parade--one of America's first Memorial Day parades. Among the marchers was General John Logan, a Civil War hero and proud son of Illinois. The following year, General Logan was appointed the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. One of his first acts as commander in chief was to call for a national day of remembrance to honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives so that America could receive a ``new birth of freedom.'' In the Army's General Order No. 11--the ``Memorial Day Order''-- General Logan wrote of his hope that the day of remembrance would be ``kept up from year to year, [as long as] a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades.'' On this Memorial Day, more than a century and a half later, we remember all of the American patriots who have fallen in battles--from Antietam, to the Argonne Forest, to Afghanistan. General Logan called their deaths ``the cost of a free and undivided republic.'' In these fractious times, when our Nation sometimes feels, again, like a house divided, may we remember the price those fallen heroes paid to preserve our Union. And may we also remember the duty we each bear to preserve the priceless gift for which they gave their lives-- this Nation, free and undivided. On a related note, I want to take a moment to wish a belated happy birthday to an American hero who returned from war. Sgt. Victor Butler is that last surviving Tuskegee Airman in his home State of Rhode Island and one of the last of that legendary Band of Brothers in our Nation. Last Saturday, May 21, Mr. Butler celebrated his 100th birthday. When he was a young man, he and the other members of the Tuskegee Airmen helped to save the world from the tyranny of fascism--and he helped to loosen the grip of racism on America. In the weeks before his 100th birthday, Mr. Butler told family and friends all he wanted for his centennial celebration was a card. He didn't want folks to make a fuss or go to any great expense. One of his nieces posted his wish on social media--and word spread. He thought he might receive a few cards. At last count, Mr. Butler had received more than 40,000 cards and video greetings from people in every State in the Union and as far away as Japan, South Korea, and Germany. Last Saturday, on his birthday, his hometown held a parade in his honor. And he received a signed football and a jersey with the number ``100'' on the back, hand-delivered by the owner of his favorite football team, the New England Patriots--a well-deserved tribute to a real-life hero. Like the tradition of Memorial Day, the Tuskegee Airmen have a special connection to my State. The first airfield where they trained-- before Tuskegee--was Chanute Field in Rantoul, IL, near Champaign. The spot where that airfield stood is marked proudly today with signs that read ``Birthplace of the Tuskegee Airmen.'' And in 2016, Illinois renamed a stretch of Interstate 57 on the South Side of Chicago as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail. It is a fitting tribute, given how many Tuskegee Airman had roots in the Chicago area. African-Americans have fought and died for America's freedom since Crispus Attucks became the first American to fall in our War for Independence. As the first African-American aviators ever to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps, the Tuskegee Airman occupy a special chapter in our Nation's history. They fought in World War II, at a time when the U.S. Armed Forces were still segregated, and our Nation was still riven with racially discriminatory laws and attitudes. Their original mission was to serve as escort pilots for other American flyers, to protect them from enemy fire. The Tuskegee Airmen also flew bombing missions themselves. Officially, they were known as the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group. But the pilots whose flights they protected gave them a nickname. They called them the Red Tails, or the Red-Tailed Angels, due to the distinctive color on their aircraft wings. Their leader was the legendary Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who would go on to become the first African-American brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force. His father, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., was the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Army. There were a total of 932 Tuskegee Airmen pilots, and another 10,000 Tuskegee Airmen--and women--who served as mechanics, radio operators, and other essential support positions. They conducted more than 700 bomber escort missions--and they never lost a single lost a single aircraft--not one. They were the only fighter group in World War II with a perfect record of protecting bombers. White U.S. military pilots were permitted to fly no more than 52 missions during World War II. Some Tuskegee Airman flew as many as 100 missions. Sixty-six Tuskegee Airmen died in combat. Thirty-three were held as prisoners of war. In March 2007, the Tuskegee Airmen as a group were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow. The ceremony was held in the Rotunda of the Capitol. I will never forget the sight of 300 Tuskegee Airman dressed in red sports jackets, saluting the American flag in that hallowed space. Some were in wheelchairs. But when the National Anthem played, they all rose to their feet and stood straight and proud. Just before the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony, I had the privilege of hosting several Tuskegee Airmen with Illinois roots in my office. Then-Senator Obama stopped by to pay his respects. It was a historic and humbling moment. I met Lt. Colonel George Sherman, who grew up in Moline and joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 at the age of 18. He had to take the physical twice; he was rejected the first time because of his buck teeth, but he didn't give up. He ended up serving 22 years in the Air Force. First Lieutenant Shelby Westbook was born in Arkansas and lost both of his parents when he was just 12. He flew 60 missions over 12 countries in Europe. After the war, he wanted to attend engineering school. The first school he applied to rejected him because it didn't accept Black students. He moved to Chicago, earned a degree, and worked as an electrical engineer for decades. First Lieutenant Robert Martin famously claimed to have flown ``63 and a half missions.'' On his 64th combat mission, he was shot down over Yugoslavia. He was hidden by antifascist partisans until he could return to his unit. After the war, he worked as an electrical engineer for the city of Chicago for nearly 40 years. Flight Officer John Lyle--``Captain Jack'' to his friends--grew up on Chicago's South Side. He flew 26 combat missions. After the war, he earned a college degree but couldn't find work in his field so, for a time, he washed windows of downtown skyscrapers. Eventually, he owned his own insurance agency, a fish and chicken restaurant, and a tree- trimming service. Lt. Bev Dunjill flew more than 100 combat missions between World War II and the Korean war. He later worked for the Illinois Department of Human Rights. All of those heroes are gone now. But their valor and impact are not forgotten. The Tuskegee Airmen and the all-Black Montfort Point Marines were among nearly 1 million Black Americans who served in World War II. Most saw the war as a battle on two fronts--one against fascism overseas and the other against racially discriminatory laws and attitudes in America. Their goal, they said, was ``the Double V,'' victory for democracy overseas and at home. The change at home did not come easily, but it did come. Three years after World War II ended, President Truman ordered an end to segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces. And the service and sacrifice of the Tuskegee Airmen and other Black veterans and leaders helped set the stage for the civil rights movement of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Today, as the last surviving Tuskegee Airman near their 100th birthdays and we lose hundreds of World War II veterans each day, we are painfully aware that the democracy and unity they paid such a high price for is under threat, both overseas and at home. The peace of Europe and democracy itself is under fire from Russia in Ukraine. And our sense of security and national unity seems to be fraying at home. Violence--especially gun violence--threatens us all, even our children. Our progress against division and discrimination often feels shaky. We are pitted against each other by those who believe that conflict and anger is good for their political interests or their profit sheets. But it doesn't have to be this way. As we prepare to remember and honor those who gave their lives for our freedom, let us resolve to do our part, in our time, to keep our Nation free and undivided.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to print the following letter in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this morning we are going to consider H.R. 350, which is legislation which I introduced some time ago. I want to describe it because it has been inaccurately described before and let Members know what they are voting on. First, what does it relate to? Domestic terrorism. Is that a Federal crime? You bet it is, and this particular bill makes reference to that crime. Hate crimes? It refers to that too. Is that a real crime? It is a Federal crime, and we refer to it specifically. So what new crimes are created in this bill? None. Not one. What we are doing is asking the Federal Agencies that have the responsibility of national security to give us timely reports on the incidence of domestic terrorism, and we say to them there are categories which the FBI has already established of domestic terrorism. And those categories--I would like to spell out a couple of them to you so it is pretty clear what we are going after here: racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism; anti-government, anti-authority violent extremism; animal rights and environmental violent extremism; abortion- related violent extremism and others. So those are already categories of domestic terrorism that the FBI reports on. What we are saying is, give us those reports in a timely fashion so we can see the incidence of these forms of extremism and the commission of crimes. But there is one correction that we are making that is very important. During the Trump administration, they eliminated reference in this list of categories of domestic terrorism of White supremacist activity. The reason why it is important for us to include that is that we have the sworn testimony of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that this is a category of crime and terrorism in America that is ``metastasizing''--his word, metastasizing. So we believe it is important that we be given information about the incidence of violent extremism, domestic terrorism, that relates to this type of activity, this White supremacy. I will tell you, it is not an imagined crime. We see the reality of it way too often. We just saw it 2 weeks ago in Buffalo, NY. That shooter put his so-called manifesto on the internet and declared, among other things, his support for the ``great replacement theory.'' The ``great replacement theory'' is a thinly veiled White supremacist theory that tries to suggest that immigrants to America are somehow only arriving at the expense of those already here, particularly White Americans. That sort of theory has been out there since the days of the Ku Klux Klan, maybe even before it. But it is White supremacy. It inspired this man to do terrible things in Buffalo and kill innocent people at that grocery store. So we are asking the FBI to give us this information. We will draw conclusions as we will, but that is basically it. No new crime is created nor is any new authority being created in the process. I think that is a critical element. But there is one other thing that is part of this exercise this morning in voting for H.R. 350. The majority leader, Senator Schumer, after the events in Uvalde, TX, declared that we are going to try to reach out, on a bipartisan basis, to come up with legislation to deal with gun safety and safety in schools. His first effort to do this is this bill. What we are voting on is a motion to proceed to the bill. He has invited colleagues, on a bipartisan basis, to come forward and to offer their amendments in the field of gun safety and school safety. That is why this motion to proceed is more than just the bill I described. It is an opportunity for amendments on the floor. This morning, I had an interview with CNN, and they talked about the fact that we are leaving for a week for Memorial Day to honor our veterans and be home and then return. Why aren't we staying and working? Well, here is the chance for us to make it clear that we are going to work on what happened in these terrible tragedies in Uvalde, TX, and Buffalo, NY, and so many others. So I am appealing to my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, if you have any ideas, and I hope you do, for gun safety, school safety, and to make this a safer nation, this is the vehicle to do it. A ``yes'' vote on the motion to proceed to H.R. 350 is your opportunity to open a process where we can consider amendments. Senator Schumer was very explicit. He invited Democrats as well as Republicans to come forward with their best ideas on a bipartisan basis. And isn't that what the people of the country are actually asking for, more than anything; that we roll up our sleeves and face this challenge which has taken so many innocent lives? In the newspaper yesterday, in the New York Times, they did a feature on those wonderful little kids and the teachers who lost their lives in Uvalde, TX. It is heartbreaking to see those kids, those beautiful little children, and to realize that they are no longer with us and that their families are grieving in a way they never imagined they would. Isn't it up to us to do something about it rather than just give press releases? Isn't it up to us as legislators to legislate and try to find solutions? This opportunity, the motion to proceed, opens the door to that possibility. We can return the week after Memorial Day recess and start in earnest considering amendments offered by Democrats and Republicans which deal with this issue. We owe the American people that. We are elected to this job to legislate, not just to give speeches but to change the laws in this country to make it safer. This is our chance to do it. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, vote for H.R. 350. This is an important bill in and of itself, but equally important is the fact that it opens a process Americans are longing to hear that we take seriously. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to proceed on H.R. 350. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. As chairman of the appropriate jurisdictional committee and on behalf of Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota, I object.

Mr. DURBIN. As cosponsor of both pieces of legislation that are being debated here, I would say to the Senator from Utah: Keep the faith. The day will come. This legislation will see the light of day, and I believe should become law along with Senator Klobuchar's bill. I believe both are good pieces of legislation. This is not the appropriate moment, but that moment will come.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley) and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this week, the Senate continues the important work of confirming highly qualified, diverse nominees to the Federal Judiciary. Working closely with Senate Democrats, the Biden administration has prioritized the selection of judicial nominees who are faithful to the rule of law, who are evenhanded and impartial, and who understand the critical distinction between being an advocate and being a judge. And together, we are building a Federal judiciary that is more representative of the Nation as a whole, both in terms of demographic and professional diversity. The five nominees under consideration by the Senate this week are no exception, and I want to speak briefly on each of them. Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Judge Stephanie Davis to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Since 2019, Judge Davis has served as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated for the District Court by President Trump. And she was voted out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote and confirmed by voice vote as well. Prior to serving on the District Court, Judge Davis served as a U.S. magistrate judge for approximately 3 years, also in the Eastern District of Michigan. In total, Judge Davis has served as a Federal judge for more than 6 years. Before assuming the bench, Judge Davis was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for nearly two decades. During her last 5 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office, she served as the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney. She also spent 3 years as the deputy chief of the Controlled Substances Unit. While serving as a Federal prosecutor, Judge Davis prosecuted elder fraud cases, served on a committee that addressed a backlog of untested rape kits, and led one of the earliest prosecutions combating the opioid epidemic in the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Davis also spent 5 years in private practice. During this time, she volunteered with the Women's Justice Center, helping victims of domestic violence obtain personal protection orders. Born in Kansas City, MO, Judge Davis earned her college degree from Wichita State University and her law degree from Washington University School of Law. Judge Davis has been unanimously rated ``Well Qualified'' for the Sixth Circuit by the American Bar Association, and she has the strong support of her two home State Senators, Ms. Stabenow and Mr. Peters. Once sworn in, Judge Davis will be the first Black woman from Michigan to serve on the Sixth Circuit--and only the second ever Black woman to serve on the court. With Judge Davis's extensive experience as a judge, a prosecutor, and a litigator in private practice, as well as her decades-long commitment to public service, she is clearly well qualified to serve on the Sixth Circuit. This morning, the Senate also confirmed the nomination of Evelyn Padin to the District of New Jersey. A native of New Jersey, Ms. Padin received her B.A. from Rutgers University, her M.S.W. from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services, her certificate in European legal studies from Tulane University, and her J.D. from Seton Hall Law School. Since graduating from law school, Ms. Padin has spent nearly three decades practicing law. In 1995, Ms. Padin opened her own law firm, and she has appeared regularly in both State and Federal courts ever since. She has tried approximately 10 jury trials to verdict, judgment, or final decision. In addition to her lengthy career as a litigator, Ms. Padin also has judicial experience, having served as a municipal court judge for the Jersey City Municipal Court. In this role, she presided over nearly 3,000 cases--all bench trials--that went to verdict or judgment, primarily involving minor criminal-type offenses, traffic violations, and municipal ordinance offenses. Outside the courtroom, Ms. Padin has been active in the legal community. She was the first Latina to serve as the president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. In that role, she worked to improve access to justice in New Jersey, including by starting legal clinics to serve the economically disadvantaged. Ms. Padin received a ``Qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association and has the strong support of her home State Senators, Mr. Menendez and Mr. Booker. Ms. Padin's years of experience with New Jersey's legal system, coupled with her broad legal expertise, make her well-suited to serve on the Federal bench. And the Senate also confirmed the nomination of Charlotte Sweeney to the District of Colorado. Ms. Sweeney is a trial litigator who has spent over 26 years defending the employment rights of Americans who have faced discrimination or harassment--based on their race, national origin, gender, age, or disability--in the workplace. Practicing primarily in Federal court, she has tried more than 20 cases to verdict or judgment. Through her work, Ms. Sweeney has earned a reputation for integrity and fairmindedness, both from her peers and from those before whom she has practiced. Twenty-six attorneys who regularly work as opposing counsel to Ms. Sweeney have offered their ``strong support'' of her nomination, writing that she ``will be an impartial, prepared, and reasoned jurist.'' Similarly, 17 former judges and employment lawyers who have acted as settlement or arbitration proceeding neutrals have also endorsed her nomination. Based on Ms. Sweeney's advocacy before them, they believe she ``will make an exceptional district court judge.'' With so much support from the Colorado legal community and as a Colorado native herself, it is no surprise that Ms. Sweeney has the strong support of her home State Senators, Mr. Bennet and Mr. Hickenlooper, or that she was rated ``Well Qualified'' by the American Bar Association. Additionally, Ms. Sweeney will advance President Biden's commitment to ensuring the Federal judiciary reflects the country it serves. She will be the first openly LGBTQ article III judge in Colorado and the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve as a Federal district court judge in any State west of the Mississippi. The Senate is also considering Nina Morrison, nominated to the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Morrison attended Yale College and New York University Law School before clerking for Judge Pierre N. Leval on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She then worked in private practice and at the American Civil Liberties Union before joining the Innocence Project. Ms. Morrison is now one of the most senior attorneys at the Innocence Project, where she works to exonerate wrongfully imprisoned individuals by petitioning for access to DNA evidence and other post-conviction relief. Thanks to Ms. Morrison's efforts, nearly 30 wrongfully convicted individuals in more than 10 States have been freed from prison or death row. In addition, her work has helped to correctly identify the perpetrators of violent crimes, delivering justice to both their victims and to those who have been wrongfully imprisoned. Ms. Morrison is a seasoned litigator who has practiced in State and Federal courts all across the country. The American Bar Association unanimously rated her ``Well Qualified'' to serve as a district judge, and she has the strong support of both of her home State Senators, Mr. Schumer and Mrs. Gillibrand. Ms. Morrison has dedicated her career to ensuring that our justice system lives up to America's ideals. Her dedication, breadth of experience, and unique perspective will make her an asset to the Eastern District of New York. Finally, the Senate will consider Robert Huie, nominated to the Southern District of California. Mr. Huie is an accomplished litigator who previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the district to which he has been nominated. Notably, he was counsel of record in more than 600 district court cases and was lead appellate counsel in approximately two dozen appeals. After leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mr. Huie went into private practice, where he is currently Of Counsel in the San Diego office of Jones Day and a leader in the firm's Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice. He is also the San Diego office's pro bono coordinator and chair of the diversity and inclusion committee. A graduate of Yale Law School and a lawyer with extensive criminal and civil experience, Huie is well-positioned to join the Federal bench. He has tried 22 cases--both jury and nonjury--to verdict, judgment, or final decision. Mr. Huie has the strong support of Senators Feinstein and Padilla, and he was rated unanimously ``Well Qualified'' by the American Bar Association. His legal work both in and out of the courtroom, coupled with his decades-long career serving the Southern District of California, make him an outstanding nominee. I am pleased that three of these nominees received bipartisan confirmation votes and another nominee has already received a bipartisan cloture vote. And I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting those nominations that have not yet come up for a vote. With their records, experience, and evenhanded approach, all of these nominees will be ready on day one to serve this Nation as Federal judges.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Merkley), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.