District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the young chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, what we have heard today is a continuation of this lame excuse of politics and on Donald Trump. The gentleman from California did allude to it but really did not get into much more of the data.

The bottom line is from 9/30/20, 2/25/23, 6/30/23, 7/28/23, 3/22/24, 4/12/24, 10/1/24, each of these people were nominated by the distinguished gentleman, the former President of the United States, Mr. Biden.

This is not political. This is getting the work done that Washington, D.C. needs, and this commission process that we go through does not work.

I know we wanted to hear that this is all related to Donald Trump and Republicans wanting to control the process that goes on so that we can control Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, it is not working is the reason why I am on the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 5125 is about a process that can work. The gentleman from California is correct. A lot of it is political, but what it is to do is to say that if the people of this country have chosen the President of the United States, then that is the direction we will go. We will give that President, whether it be Republican or Democrat, whether it be a man or a woman, we will give that President the opportunity for the control of this nomination and the system here in Washington, D.C.

We have got a lot at risk. Mr. Speaker, we have got a lot at risk which is the same reason why President Trump finally had the guts--yes, I will call them guts--to call in the National Guard to take on the crime presence that exists in Washington, D.C.

Members of Congress have had their cars stolen. We have had Members of Congress who were assaulted. We have had staff members of this body who were killed. People who come to this town from across the United States want, need, and expect that Washington, D.C. does not become or continue to be a work-free drug zone.

Washington, D.C. should be safe for visitors not just of the United States, but for international visitors who visit also. The basis of that which Chairman Comer is bringing to the floor today is to look at, from top to bottom, not just the judicial system, but really the entire process of the court system.

I have some background in this. My father served as a chief judge of the Western District of Texas in San Antonio. He served as FBI Director for President Reagan, President Bush, and President Clinton. He understood firsthand that control of crime has a lot to do with how you deal with criminals, Mr. Speaker.

This opportunity that we bring today to the floor is to go back to a process that works and is a process that is driven by the President of the United States who also has authority and responsibility over this beautiful city.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman coming forth, as she does represent the District of Columbia, but I think in the argument it is important to note that these are not just local judges that we are talking about. They don't handle any matter that is related to a ticket or parking ticket, local matters. In fact, they deal with serious matters, and that is why it comes to the attention of the United States Senate and the President of the United States.

This bill does not remove any sitting judges on either the D.C. Superior Court or the D.C. Court of Appeals, but, in fact, we believe it is important. As the gentlewoman noted, since 2013 we still have people who have been hanging out and not approved.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I am not going to go through this, because I really did not do the due diligence to know why there are people here who have not been approved. They are still pending.

What I would tell you, Mr. Speaker, is that we have lots of time since 2013 where Republicans and Democrats who were in charge in the United States Senate could have moved these nominations forward, and they chose not to.

I am simply standing and saying that I believe that today this bill needs to be passed because Washington, D.C., and the sitting courts do need additional judges. They need competent people who would be prepared to move forward.

If there is one President who would nominate and get this done, it would be Donald Trump. Donald Trump deeply believes in the success of Washington, D.C. He believes Washington, D.C., should be a place that is safe and has good judges. This will be an opportunity for us not only to understand a different way to handle this but a way that we can look back and say we have made Washington, D.C., just a little bit better because the Republican Party cares deeply about Washington, its success, and, mostly, the safety of the people who live here.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the young chairman for allowing me to bring this bill together.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source