Climate Change

Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, less than 2 weeks ago, this country lost one of its most brilliant legal minds--Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her passing has left a void that can be felt all across our Nation from Nebraska to Washington.

Sadly, Nebraska recently lost another great jurist--Judge Laurie Smith Camp. Judge Smith Camp was the first woman to serve my State as a Federal judge, a position she had held since 2001. This body voted 100 to 0 to confirm her just 6 weeks after President George W. Bush nominated her. That doesn't happen very often anymore, and her unanimous approval was a testament to her incredible talent.

Judge Smith Camp grew up in Omaha, but she left Nebraska to attend college at Stanford University. She graduated with distinction. And I am glad to say that she came back home to attend the University of Nebraska Law School where she distinguished herself again as editor-in- chief of the Nebraska Law Review.

Before becoming a Federal judge, she served her State through a series of jobs that spanned the legal profession. She began her career in private practice but soon moved on to become general counsel for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, the head of the Nebraska attorney general's civil rights section, and then the chief deputy attorney general for criminal matters for the Nebraska attorney general. These wide-ranging experiences were part of what made her an exceptional Federal judge.

Another part was her love for the law and the compassion that flowed from it. She was well known for her dedication to equal treatment for all, regardless of background, and for a sentencing philosophy that preferred rehabilitation to punishment.

She also understood that success isn't just about achieving your professional goals. She was profoundly generous with her time and, when she wasn't leading Nebraska's district court, she could be found promoting women's participation in the legal profession or mentoring young Nebraska attorneys. This was in addition to recently being elected president of the Omaha Bar Association--a job that she had held since June.

Laurie was also my friend. She spoke at an event I held in 2016 called Bridging the Gap, which aims to encourage women to engage in their communities at the local, State, and Federal level. I am lucky to have known her personally and to have seen up close the wise advice and the quick wit that made her famous among her colleagues and those she mentored.

Through her example, she inspired a generation of young women in Nebraska and beyond to pursue careers as attorneys, advocates, and community leaders, just as Justice Ginsburg did. Both of these extraordinary women blazed a trail that today's young women and girls can follow. I join with both their families in mourning their passing and celebrating their lives.

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