. >> he also, my understanding has the highest rating of the american bar association. >> the americanar association said he was eminently qualified for this job. it was a coveted rating. >> what is interesting is the almost mirror image politics of a similar appellate court battle just a couple years ago, the miguel estrada battle, bush nominated a guy graduated magna cum laude, too conservative for the democrats, they fill busted and killed his nomination, both cases young guys who could have made it to the supreme court, i think they scared the people of the opposite party, liu is only 40 years old, he could be on the supreme court nor a long time. estrada was a young guy. >> it would have been a steppingstone to the supreme court. >> what happens in the aftermath of this, josh? now what? >> a great question. i think we have to wait and see how some of the remaining judicial nominations are going to go but democrats are saying this sort of puts an end to the deal that was struck by the so-called gang of 14 five years ago. there were seven democratic senators and seven republicans, o

the san francisco bar association has rated him exceptionally well qualified. the american bar association has rated him well qualified, their highest rating. and in 2009, a merit selection review panel appointed by the united states district court thoroughly reviewed his record and recommended him for reappointment as a magistrate judge. that panel consisted of seven lawyers appointed by the district court. they solicited public comments on chen's work as a judge. only positive information was forthcoming. they talked to federal prosecutors in the u.s. attorney's office. again, the reports were uniformly favorable. prosecutors called chen's analytical skills exemplary and said his rules were balanced and well-reasoned. defense attorneys were similarly positive. they describe chen as respectf respectful, considered in his judgments. and partners with large law firms called chen prompt, well-prepared, very intelligent, and decisive. overall, the panel recommended unequivocally that chen be reappointed for a second eight-year term as a magistrate judge, and obviously he has s

the american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary gave mr. dalton the rating of substantial majority, well-qualified, minority, qualified. i'm pleased to support the nomination of mr. dalton. i also rise in support of kevin sharp for u.s. district court judge, middle district tennessee. mr. sharpen listed in the united states -- mr. sharp enlisted in the united states senate following high school and received honorable discharge 1964. th19644 -- 1986. he received his b.s. from christian brother college and j.d. from vanderbilt university school of law. he began his legal career as an associate with the firm of storystokes and barthelmew. and mr. sharp returned to stokes, barthelmew and petry eventually making partner. since 2003, has been a shareholder and partner at drex ler andrexler and sharp, where s focused on disability law. the american bar association on the federal judiciary committee has rated him qualified and i urge my colleagues to support the nominee. i would note that the vacancy of mr. sharp that he will fill was created by th

charge and during the two-year period, he had represented twice the number of people that the american bar association recommended as the slutes maximum. now -- absolute maximum. now, there was something else that happened that day in court and this is extremely important. i was sitting there and there were these long, dark, wooden benches and everybody was sort of creeking because the judge, the prosecutor and the defense attorney were all huddled together at the front. now, all you could really hear in court was the creeking to have wooden benches. you couldn't hear anything that was going on and i was trying to take notes for my story and next to me was this guy. his name is steve bright. he is head of the southern center for human rights in atlanta. he had come because i told him imi was doing this story and he had been suing different counties across the state saying they were providing a lack of quality indigent defense. he said i'll come sit with you. he state your name turns to me and said amy, you're trying to take notes for your story. you can't hear anything. why don't you ask the judge to

was a moment or two of concern about the motivation of lawyers, but i need to say that the american bar association family law section and international sections in particular have been asked by the president of the aba at the request of congressman smith to review the legislation that has been presented and the issues and to make recommendations on this legislation and other actions of the body. initially the american chapter of the international of lawyers proposed legislation and in providing assistance to the united states department of state. both the members of the aba and the iaml have given thousands of hours of pro bono assistance for abducted children and colleagues at the united states department of state. i am personally appreciative of the continued willingness of jacobs to listen to my concerns and colleagues and address these complex issues on a case-by-case basis, however, and this is the take away -- her accessibility is no substitute for a transparent process to address issues involving all similarly situated parents diplomatically. my colleagues continue to provide incredible ins

well, the american bar association didn't waste anytime evaluating professor goodwin liu. they awarded him their highest possible rating -- "unanimously well-qualified." if you look at his background, it is no surprise. he is the son of immigrants. he aattended stanford rust of university where he graduated phi beta cap parks won a rhodes scholarship, atentdzed yale law school where he was editor of the yale law review. served as a law clerk to judge david tatel of the d.c. sairnghtdz to supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg. after finishing his second clerkship, the one at the supreme court, he worked for years at the law firm of o'medical have en knee & meyers this walking. then he joininged the faculty at the university of berkeley law school. he has won numerous awards for his teaching and academic scholarship, complug the highest teaching awards given at the cal berkeley law school. so what's the point of this debate? we know he is well-equal fievmentd we know there is a judicial emergency that requires us to fill this seat, and we should have done it a long time a

well, the american bar association didn't waste anytime evaluating professor goodwin liu. they awarded him their highest possible rating -- "unanimously well-qualified." if you look at his background, it is no surprise. he is the son of immigrants. he aattended stanford rust of university where he graduated phi beta cap parks won a rhodes scholarship, atentdzed yale law school where he was editor of the yale law review. served as a law clerk to judge david tatel of the d.c. sairnghtdz to supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg. after finishing his second clerkship, the one at the supreme court, he worked for years at the law firm of o'medical have en knee & meyers this walking. then he joininged the faculty at the university of berkeley law school. he has won numerous awards for his teaching and academic scholarship, complug the highest teaching awards given at the cal berkeley law school. so what's the point of this debate? we know he is well-equal fievmentd we know there is a judicial emergency that requires us to fill this seat, and we should have done it a long time a

the ninth circuit is home to over 40% of asian-american population in the united states. finally, mr. president, professor liu has received the highest possible judicial rating, unanimously well-qualified, from the american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary. mr. president, with this distinguished record and recommendations that we have received, we have an excellent nominee to serve on the court of appeals. i urge my colleagues madam president. i come to the floor to speak on the nomination that's now before the senate, the nomination of goodwin liu to be circuit judge of the ninth circuit. i've said many times over the past two weeks and maybe even for a longer period of time than two weeks, by any fair measure, removing judicial nominees at a very brisk pace -- we're moving judicial nominees at a very brisk pace. this month alone we confirmed seven judges in ten days. in the short time that we have been in session this year, we've confirmed 24 judges. that's a rate almost of one judge every other day. this year the committee has favorably reported 51% of president obama's nominees. yet, it seems that the more we work with the majority on filling vacancies, the more complaints that we hear. fu

in giving professor liu its highest rating of unanimously well qualified, the american bar association interviewed scores of american judges who have worked with him and found his reputation to be one of impartiality, integrity and great ability. for the nominees to our circuit courts of appeal, we could ask no less. professor liu's activity as a noted legal and policy scholar is in my view being used unfairly to impugn his judicial temperament. in meeting personally with goodwin liu, he explained to me he clearly understands and respects the difference between scholarship and jurisprudence. actacademics explore the contous and limits of the law, often advocating for specific policy outcomes. that is the work of a great law professor. judges, on the other hand, apply legal precedent to come to the conclusion that the law compels, without prejudice or pursuit of a personal agenda. when professor liu has been asked to apply the law as would a judge, any criticism that he allows a policy preference to cloud his judgment just does not pass muster. as an example, although professor liu has

as i said a moment ago the american bar association after searchingti confidentialive revi comprehensive review of thisew l golf vacations concluded he was unanimously well-qualified. his highest possible rate. in previous nomination debates senators of this body, senators of the aba rating as aeval comprehensive and exhaustive evaluation that providesed. valuable insight about to be trusted. seval several folks, m several member, of this body and severalin senators including some who spoke immediately before me have ate those exact references to a the value of the aba rating process.o reasonable minds may be able toi differ on the margins but it isy not credible in my view to claim that a candidate with professorn liu's r remarkable legal education, long record of public service and experience and the aba's highest rating is not qualified to serve on a circuit court. the charges were suggestions that professor liu is unqualified because he lacks significant courtroom experienca arels also one-sided when we lok at the real record. 1 since 1984, 14 nominees hundred and professor liu advan

and i think a -- it's astounding to me and i think a discredit to the american bar association, which should be down the line honest. in this particular case, has been anything but. this is an important -- this is an important issue. i wish i didn't have to vote against goodwin liu, because i like him personally. i like provocative law professors, even when they disagree with me. in fact, sometimes especially because they disagree with me. but they darned well better be intelligent disagreements. i like that. but i worry about some of these far-left law professors who are teaching our kids how to become lawyers and teaching them the wrong things. it's okay if they teach them the wrong things, but also teach the right things and contrast the two. i don't have any problem with that. i do have problems with law professors who basically ignore the actual words in the law, and especially when they ignore the words in the constitution or distort those words in the constitution, which i found goodwin liu has done from time to time and which i believe disqualify him for this very, very high h

but i need to say that the american bar association's family law section and international section in particular have been asked by the president at the request congressman smith to review the legislation that will be -- that has been presented and the issues to make recommendations on this legislation and other actions additionally the american chapter of the international matrimonial lawyers have offered their expertise with in evaluating proposed legislation and providing assistance to the united states department of state. both of the members of the aba has given thousands of hours of pro bono assistance and support to of the return of children and counsel to the united states department of state. i am personally appreciative of the continued willingness of secretary janice jacobs to entertain my concern and those of my colleagues and attempting to address these complex issues on a case by case basis. however, and this is to take away, her accessibility is no substitute for a genuine identifiable and transparent process to address issues involving all similarly situated parents di

the a.b.a., meaning the american bar association, standing committee on the federal judiciary gave her the rating -- quote -- "substantial majority equalified, minority not qualified." end of quote. even though the reasons behind the ratings are not released, i suspect the not qualified rating stems from her lack of litigation experience. this nominee does not have the concrete judicial experience i favor. i know others share this view. the judiciary committee reported this nominee by a vote of 15-3 with three republican oppositions in opposition, not including this senator. i take their views seriously and fully understand why senators would not support this nomination. nevertheless, with little enthusiasm for her nomination, i will give her the benefit of the doubt and support the nominee. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without obj

but i need to say that the american bar association family law section and international sections in particular have been asked by the president of the aba at the request of congressman smith to review the legislation that will be, that has been presented and the issues and to make recommendation on this legislation and other actions of body. additionally, the american chapter of the international academy of matrimonial lawyers have offered expertise both in evaluating the proposed legislation and in providing assistance to the united states department of state. both the members of the aba and the iaml have given thousands of hours of pro bono assistance in support of the return of abducted children and in counsel to our colleagues at the united states department of state. i'm personally appreciative of the continued willingness of secretary janis jacobs to entertain my concerns and those of my colleagues in attempting to address these complex issues on a case-by-case basis. however, and this is the takeaway, her accessibility is no substitute for a genuine, identifiable and transpare

the american bar association committee on the federal judiciary has given judge urbanski their highest rating -- unanimously well qualified. i'm pleased to support this experienced nominee and i urge my colleagues to do the same. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: is there anyone who wishes to vote or change their vote? if not, the ayes are 94, the nays are zero. the nomination is confirm. under the previous or the motion considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate will resume legislative session much. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs.

we have many exchanges through commerce department, justice department, and even the american bar association groups traveling to china to help develop a rule of law. but we must continue to push these issues as we have in the strategic and economic dialogue and even in the joint commission on commerce and trade by the commerce secretary and ambassador kirk. i can tell you in the most recent jcct meeting, the chinese agreed to extent their campaign on legitimate thoughts there among government agencies, national and at the subregional level. we need to hold their feet to the fire, make sure there are audits we can all depend on. and, in fact, the chinese president hu jintao reiterated that support in his visit to the united states this past january. it is a very important, high priority topic for the u.s. government as a whole. it has been for me as commerce secretary and will continue to be a top priority as the ambassador to china. >> let me just ask one further question without speculation is undue. but many believe that inflation in china is picking up steam, many chinese leaders seem to

and spoken on it, that i personally take the position, and this position is a policy of the american bar association as well, that the united states should, in fact, be a significant to the on the right to chuck him and his this would be yet another example of why. because i would not want the argument made as is often made, there are protections associate with the u.n. convention that are somehow broader than protections provided under united states law. and as a result, the child should not be returned to the united states. the area of customary international law in child rights issue is complex. i assure you that in the most recent meeting at the hague conference, which dealt with child trafficking, that very issue was raised, particularly as it related to the protocol, particularly as related to child trafficking in the context of adoption. and i begin is a sophisticated interplay of international legal issues that weigh heavily on countries in africa and central and south america. so, again, i think it is a huge issue. to some extent beyond the scope of our discussion today, but a discussion th

subject to the, obviously, the president's action, and quite importantly, to the review by the american bar association, and quite importantly, the background checks of the f.b.i.; quite importantly and very, very importantly, to the deliberations of the judiciary committee here in the united states senate. this has been a process for both republicans and democrats. it has extended over six decades, and it is something that i hope we can respect today through our deliberations and the conclusion of deliberations. turning to mr. mcconnell, we are fortunate, i believe, to have an individual of his talent and his character. jack's a graduate of brown university at case western reserve law school. he clerked for a justice of the rhode island supreme court. he has received numerous accolades and awards such as the national association of attorneys general president's award, the case wesson reserve martin luther king jr. award. he's been named to numerous lists of the best lawyers. he has the top rating in both ethics and achievement from martin dale hubbell, which is the legal service that reviews practical

the american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary has given her the rating of majority qualified , minority well qualified. i congratulate the nominee and her achievement and public service, and i urge my colleagues to support this nomination and hopefully it will be supported unanimously. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: i would ask suspension of the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: i would ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: i understand, mr. president, we are in the time of our republican colleagues, and so i would just kate that if we have a republican colleague that comes to the floor during my time, i would certainly be glad to stop and yield to them. mr. president, i want to speak about something that is incredibly important to the families and businesses of michig

for the reasons that she was defeated is the american bar association gave her a highly negative vote. one years later looked at the credentials of sandra day o'connor verses mildred lilly, mildred was actually more qualified to be on the bench than sandra day o'connor who turned out to be a wonderful justice. so, nixon got down to the 11th hour and was down to howard baker as one person he offered the post to and the other was lewis powell who in one of nixon's beside finer moments made the conversation with lewis powell persuading him it's actually hearing him is better than reading the transcript. he was very persuasive, paul was concerned he had that i set and nixon was good at persuading him thinking he would make a good justice in bringing him around to make the selection. but howard baker couldn't decide whether he wanted to be on the bench or not. he was talking to other sitting justices and a visiting the chambers to decide if he wanted to be on the court, as is sitting with his family and what have you. while that process was going on a suggestion i have met along the way, b

the president of the bar association here today. he said 400 to 500 lawyers came out, protesting what they called an american attack on the compound. i asked him about this. he said they don't believe that bin laden was living here, that they believe that this operation was to bolster president obama's chances for re-election next year and he doesn't believe his government as well that politicians here in pakistan are using this situation to further their own political advantages. so you have this sort of influential, intellectual group in this city, who are saying unless they get a photograph, they won't believe that bin laden's dead. they actually want more than a photograph. they want the people in pakistani government custody. the other family members. the wife. the daughter of bin laden. to be shown publicly. and to hear them say yes bin laden actually lived here. >> give us a sense -- you always see some of the tv footage, are these protests gaining traction? are the crowds growing? is this a growing movement day by day? >> this is what the government is worried about, that for every lawyer you see on streets here there are o

beginning to see the increase in strengthening of intellectual property rights and we have many exchanges through commerce department, justice department, and american bar association groups traveling to china to help develop a rule of law. the musket continue pushing these fish -- we must continue pushing these issues. i can tell you the most recent meeting, the campaign, the chinese need to be held to their fire. we need to make sure they're our audits that we can depend on, and the chinese president reiterated his support last january. it is a high priority topic for the u.s. government as a whole. it has been performed before commerce secretary and will be a top priority for me as ambassador to china. >> let me ask one further question. many believe inflation in china is picking up steam, at least many leaders seem to indicate that, that in fact, a so-called bubble might form in the chinese economy, which has many greater dangers than those forming elsewhere because of the enormity and the present position we talked about earlier today, where the chinese are financing a good part of our budget as well as other countries'/ -- countries'. what position should we