Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee - Nomination of Brenda Sannes to United States District Courts

Hearing

Good morning to ranking Member Grassley, and all our nominees and their guests who are here today.

I could not be more pleased to come before the committee today to introduce my 20th nominee to the federal district court bench in New York -- Brenda K. Sannes.

Ms. Sannes is the very model of a federal judge in both qualification and temperament.

Ms. Sannes passes my three-part test for becoming a federal judge with an A+ -- a grade that she appears to have received at every juncture of her career.

Indeed, my first criteria is excellence.

Ms. Sannes earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Carleton College and her law degree, also magna cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she was articles editor of the law review.

After graduating, Ms. Sannes clerked for the renowned Judge Jerome Farris on the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit.

She settled first in Los Angeles, where she worked as a litigation associate with the law firm Wyman, Bautzer, Christensen, Kuchel & Silbert, and then moved to the U.S. Attorneys' office for the Central District of California.

Fortunately for upstate New York, Ms. Sannes next moved to Syracuse, where, since 1988, she has dedicated her talents to our nation's service as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York.

Most recently, her work as head of the appellate division there has earned her the respect and accolades of judges all over the Second Circuit.

Along the way, Ms. Sannes has received awards that are, literally, too numerous to mention here. By way of example, she has been lauded by the FBI, the L.A. Police Department, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Ms. Sannes' experience in public service has helped her to meet my second important qualification for becoming a judge--moderation.

Talk to anyone who has practiced law with her, or judges whom she has appeared before, or even counsel who have been on opposing sides of cases from her.

They will tell you that she is unerringly fair, listens intently, makes reasonable decision and presents only the most solid of arguments in her cases.

And, not only has she dedicated nearly her entire career to public service; she has also found time to mentor young lawyers, and to teach and lecture aspiring lawyers on a host of criminal justice issues.

Finally, all other things being equal, I look for diversity in candidates for the federal bench. I think it is important that the communities served by our federal judges see judges who are like them, and whose values and experiences are likely to reflect their own.

Ms. Sannes will be only the second female judge in the Northern District of New York, one whose arrival will be welcomed not just by women, of course, but by everyone who values the quality and fairness of the federal judiciary.

In fact, her entire family reflects the great community that they come from. Here today with her is her husband, Steven Clymer, who has also earned very high marks from his service in the U.S. Attorneys' office in the Northern District of New York. She is also accompanied by her sons, Matthew (19, a physics major at Cornell), Samuel (16), and Benjamin (10). I'm told that Ben will be missing his second-to-last day of school -- which is movie day -- to be here with his mother.

I'm not going to pretend that this is going to be better than a movie, but I do think you'll remember it for longer.

I know you are all very proud of your wife and mother, and I'm so pleased to have you all here today.

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