Nomination of Ryan Bounds

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate is continuing our productive summer. This week we have been focused on confirming more of the President's qualified nominees. After his confirmation yesterday, Andrew Oldham, of Texas, will now bring his impressive credentials and years of distinguished service to his new role on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Today, we are considering the nomination of Ryan Bounds to serve on the Ninth Circuit. Each of these nominees has been selected by the President and his team for their credentials, reputations, and commitment to the rule of law. Each has been thoroughly examined by our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee.

Ryan Bounds is no exception. He has earned degrees from Stanford and Yale. He clerked for the very Ninth Circuit judge he has been nominated to succeed. For the past 14 years, he has distinguished himself as a public servant at the Department of Justice and in his current role as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Oregon.

Along the way, he has earned the respect and recognition of legal professionals from across the country and the political spectrum. Forty-six of his colleagues in the District of Oregon describe his ``admirable work ethic,'' ``keen judgment,'' and ``masterful writing'' as ``skills that colleagues and opponents alike seek to emulate.''

In a letter to our Senate colleagues from Oregon, criminal defense attorneys who have litigated against Mr. Bounds testified to his ``fairness,'' ``diligence,'' and ``legal acumen.''

They write:

He has shown time and time again that he is a man of his word. . . . He is an excellent lawyer and would make an outstanding judge.

A number of law professors from across the country seem to agree. They remind us about the standards to which this body is charged with holding judicial nominees--fairness, impartiality, intellectual rigor. To sum it up, in the words of one legal peer, ``Ryan has all of this, and more.''

So I look forward to voting to confirm this excellent nominee, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me.

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