Nomination of Richard A. Jones

Floor Speech

NOMINATION OF RICHARD A. JONES

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am honored to come to the floor today to speak on behalf of Richard Jones. He is a distinguished lawyer and a King County Superior Court judge from my home State. He is a man who enjoys broad bipartisan support, and he deserves a seat on the Federal bench.

President Bush nominated Judge Jones to be a district court judge for the Western District of Washington State. He is an excellent choice. I am very proud to be here this afternoon to support him, and I urge my colleagues to support him as well.

If you were to ask lawyers or judges in my home State about Judge Jones, some of the descriptions you would hear are, ``He is admired by everyone in the justice system.'' ``He gives respect, and he gets respect.'' ``The test of one's performance is the way they handle the smaller cases. Richard displays precisely that same degree of sensitivity to all who appear before him.''

The Seattle Times described this nomination by saying:

This is a lifetime appointment with no room for mistakes, and we believe there is no mistake here.

I couldn't agree more. Judge Jones has handled some of the most difficult cases in western Washington in the past decade and he has won the respect of everyone who has come before him. He presided over the sentencing of Gary Ridgway, who was known as the ``Green River Killer.'' Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder in 2003 and is one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. That would be a tough case for any judge, but Judge Jones earned praise for the sensitivity and dignity he showed for the victims of the Green River killer.

As a result of that case--and in recognition of his long service to Washington State--in 2004, Judge Jones received the ``Judge of the Year Award'' from the Asian Bar Association of Washington, from the King County Bar Association, from the Washington State Bar Association, and from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.

Judge Jones has also been praised by his peers for handling cases far out of the media spotlight with the same care and attention. Both Senator Cantwell and I assisted the President in choosing Judge Jones from a list of very qualified candidates. When I met him, I was so impressed with his sensitivity, his professionalism, and his overall sense of fairness. Throughout his career, Judge Jones has won high praise for his judicial demeanor and for the respect he shows all parties.

In the courtroom, Judge Jones is known for making articulate and powerful statements that make clear where he stands. He clearly meets the standards of fairness, evenhandedness, and adherence to the law we all expect from our Federal judges.

In his personal background, he graduated from Seattle University and the University of Washington School of Law. In private practice, Richard Jones successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of civil cases. As a State and a Federal prosecutor, he had extensive experience prosecuting criminal cases. Most recently, as a full-time King County Superior Court judge, Richard Jones has distinguished himself and won broad support.

In addition to all of those professional responsibilities, Judge Jones also has been deeply involved in community activities. He served as a YMCA board member and mentored minority youths. He has worked in the community to expand opportunities for students to pursue legal careers by supporting youth-oriented legal programs. Judge Jones has shown a commitment to the people of his community, and that is one of the reasons why they have shown a commitment to him. Since he was first appointed in 1994, the voters of King County have reelected him three times. I know I speak on behalf of a large number of people in my State's legal and law enforcement community in saying that our Federal bench will be stronger with Richard Jones.

It is my pleasure to be here on the floor this afternoon to support his nomination. He has garnered bipartisan support in my State, and I am confident that his record of fair and unbiased service will earn him a bipartisan vote on the floor of the Senate today. I urge all of my colleagues to support this nomination.

I yield the floor.

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