mr. oldham and mr. bounds' nominations to the circuit courts, and judge kavanaugh's nomination to the supreme court. my colleague from rhode island, the senator from rhode island, went into length about these very well-funded entities that have spent millions to support neil gorsuch on the supreme court, and they are going to do the same thing with judge kavanaugh's appointment to the supreme court. mr. president, those who appear before federal circuit judges and of course the supreme court should be able to rely on a fair, impartial, objective judge, free of ideological propensities. neither andrew oldham nor ryan bounds fit that bill. i will be voting no later this week on both of these nominees and urge my colleagues to vote against these confirmations as well. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. smith: i rise to express my strong concern about judge brett kavanaugh's nomination to the supreme court. i want to discuss his troubling reco

mr. oldham said about the e.p.a. it's illegitimate, and he repeatedly helped texas join oklahoma, then-oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt to sue the e.p.a. let me repeat -- oldham considers the e.p.a. illegitimate. the right-wing media has gone crazy about abolish i.c.e.? and meanwhile the senate republican majority is about to vote to give a lifetime appointment to a man who wants to abolish the e.p.a. abolish the e.p.a. is a position i think none, none of my republican friends would dare support in public, would dare vote for, get rid of completely. the clean water act, the clean air act. but they are happy to vote for a judge who believes in it, and might help do it -- and that might help do it for them. mr. oldham is so far out of the political mainstream, he doesn't represent the average republican let alone the average american, and i hope his nomination will be objected to. the truth is bounds and oldham are part of a decade-long campaign by the hard right to install conservative ideologues on the federal b

mr. oldham has imposed the xiewnt in his -- community in his years of public service. mr. oldham has degrees from the university of virginia, cambridge, and harvard law. he clerked on the d.c. circuit court and on the supreme court. he carries the highest possible rating from the american bar association, unanimously well qualified. he comes highly recommended by colleagues and peers from across the spectrum. glef reasony supported -- constantly enthusiastically and without reservation. she and the nominee worked on a number of important subjects. she said that mr. oldham expressed the qualities of an ideal judge. lisa blat argues before the supreme court. her letter describes oldham as a great listener with a brilliant legal mind and wonderful sense of humor. her conclusion, he would make a superb judge. what about mr. oldham's own words if confirmed, he explained to our colleagues, he will uphold the rights of all litigants equally and apply the law to all fairly. he understands his responsibility clearly. i look forward to confirming this nominee and i urge each of our c

mr. oldham. andy represents the best of what texas' legal community has to offer to our federal courts. andy oldham was born to high school sweethearts. his parents, like their grandparents before them, new struggles and hard work. andy's father was raised in a trailer with four other siblings. and his father, andy's grandfather, spent years away from his family, first fighting in world war ii and then korea. his mother was raised by her divorced mother, andy's mother helped manage the household starting at age eight. growing up in these humble beginnings taught both of andy's parents the value of hard work. his mother drove a cement truck and cleaned deep fryers in restaurants to pay his way through college and his mother was one of the first women to attend the university of virginia. together both enrolled in the medical college of virginia where his father became a doctor and his mother became a dentist. andy's parents had enormous student debts to pay, and so andy learned what it was like to grow up with little as well. but he likewise learned the value of an education from his par

oldham of texas to be united states circuit judge for the fifth circuit. mr. grassley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: as i've done two or three times before in the last week, i would take some time of my colleagues to discuss the nomination of judge kavanaugh to serve as an associate justice of the supreme court. i think the debate surrounding his confirmation has highlighted the deep divide between how conservatives view the role of the judiciary versus how liberals view it. the reason liberal outside groups oppose judge kavanaugh's nomination is quite simple. they don't think that he will promote their preferred policies and the outcomes of those policies while on the bench. well, i can't think of a better example that demonstrates how differently liberals and conservatives view the role of the judiciary, so let me tell you how i and most americans view the role of the judiciary. pretty simple things we learned from high school government courses about checks and balances of government. just pretty simple, pretty common sense, b

mr. mcconnell: the senate's continuing our productive summer. this week we've been focused on confirming more of the president's qualified nominees after his confirmation yesterday andrew oldham of texas will now bring his impressive credentials and years of distinguished public serves to -- service to his new role. today we are considering ryan wesley bounds to serve on the ninth circuit. each has been selected by the president and his team for their credentials and commitment to the rule of law. each has been thoroughly examined by our colleagues on the judiciary committee. ryan bounds is no exception. he's earned degrees from stanford and yale. he clerked for the ninth circuit judge he's been nominated to succeed. for the last 14 years, he's distinguished himself as be a public servant at the d.o.j. dodge -- department of justice. he has earned the respect of legal professionals from across the country and the political spectrum. 46 of his colleagues in the district of oregon describe his admiral work ethic and writing as skills colleagues and opponents alike seek to emulate. the criminal defense attorneys who have litigated against mr. bounds testified to his fairness an

mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the oldham nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any shores in the chamber wishing to vote or to change their vote? if not, the yeas are 50. the nays are 49. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close the nomination of ryan wesley bounds of oregon to be united states circuit judge for the ninth circuit signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that the debate on the nomination of ryan wesley bounds of oregon to be united states circuit judge for

oldham of texas to be united states circuit judge for the fifth circuit, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 903. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, ryan wesley bounds of oregon to be circuit judge for the ninth circuit. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the s