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Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Judicial Nominations

Date: March 13, 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Judicial Branch

FDCH TRANSCRIPTS
Congressional Hearings
Mar. 13, 2003
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Judicial Nominations

CORNYN:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And I would like to add my voice to that of my colleague and the senior Senator from Texas. And, you know, I've learned, in the short time that I've been in the United States Senate, the truism that—while everything has been said, not everybody's said it yet. And so really, I don't want to repeat what Senator Hutchison has said, because she has done a good job of talking about Judge Hinojosa's qualifications for this important job.

But, of course, if I wasn't here, then I'd have to explain to my friend, Judge Hinojosa, why I wasn't here adding my voice in support of his nomination. And people might get the wrong idea. So I'm delighted to be here with Senator Hutchison to recommend to the Judiciary Committee and hope that we will act promptly to vote this nomination out to the full floor and have Judge Hinojosa confirmed as one of the newest members of the United States Sentencing Commission.

Judge Hinojosa, as Senator Hutchison has observed, knows about sentencing because he does it daily. While guilt is rarely in doubt in many of the cases that come a federal district judge, sentencing is one of those things that weighs most heavily on the minds and the hearts of judges because they know the consequences of their judgment.

And so the Sentencing Commission was created, of course, to give some uniformity—some standard guidelines that would allow judges to assess proper punishment in those cases where guilt is already established. And it's, I think, important to have judges like Judge Hinojosa who are experienced—who know how it works in real life application because, of course, they are writing the rules that have to be applied by judges all across this country. And it's important to have those who are there where the rubber meets the road and who understand the practical implications of these important guidelines.

So, in closing, let me just say how delighted I am the president has chosen such an outstanding individual for this great honor and how much I look forward to Judge Hinojosa's excellent service on the United States Sentencing Commission.

Thank you.

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