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Floor Speech

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Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, today, the Senate will consider President Biden's nominee, Judge Kato Crews, for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, as our senior Senator so ably represented.

I am not a lawyer, so I bring a slightly different perspective, but I do recognize the experience and sensibilities that Senator Bennet brings to this. I would argue that there is no one else in the Senate who has spent as much time really looking at our legal system and examining it from a variety of different perspectives and who really understands what it means to serve on our Federal courts.

Judge Crews came before us and comes before this body with broad and well-earned bipartisan support thanks to a career dedicated to the people of Colorado. His experience, his intellect, and his integrity set him apart. They make him an ideal candidate for the Federal judiciary and will make him a judge for all of Colorado.

As Senator Bennet mentioned, he comes from a part of Colorado, Pueblo, in the south-central part of the State, which sometimes has been neglected in these types of appointments. Judge Crews will bring that valuable experience from southern Colorado, but he also understands the whole State.

In addition to the more than 20 years of legal experience that he brings to the bench, Judge Crews has also served as a magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado since 2018-- the same court to which he has been nominated.

As Senator Bennet mentioned, he also has a tremendous commitment to pro bono work. He founded the Federal Limited Appearance Program, which is a volunteer program that provides people with free representation when they first engage with our legal system. For many people, this can be an unknown and scary time for them--really, for any citizen. This program lends a helping hand and helps people deal with that anxiety.

Judge Crews's experience in community service has earned him enthusiastic support from members of the Colorado legal community up and down the list--former colleagues, labor leaders, elected officials. In supporting his nomination, a group of attorneys who has appeared as opposing counsel in Judge Crews's courtroom wrote:

Not one of us questions Magistrate Judge Crews's intellect, integrity, respect for the law, and the profession we share.

They then added:

He has embodied what all hope to see in a judicial officer--fairness and impartiality.

I could not agree more.

Kato has my full and wholehearted support. He is exactly the type of person who needs to be on the bench, who needs to join the court.

In May, the Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Judge Crews's nomination to the floor, and now I want to wholeheartedly encourage all of my colleagues in the Senate to support his confirmation.

This is a proud day for Colorado. Colorado should be and is proud that we can put forward someone like Judge Crews. I know it is also a proud day for Judge Crews and his family, of course. We want to make sure it is a really good day, so I hope everyone will support him.

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