Senate Proceeding on Jun 24th, 2009 :: 6:17:40 to 6:30:25
Total video length: 8 hours 49 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:29 Duration: 0:12:45 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

6:17:16 to 6:17:40( Edit History Discussion )

Jeanne Shaheen: bronx, she being princeton and yale law school. i believe judge sonia sotomayor is an excellent choice to replace david souters a supreme court jusce. she deserves a fair and a thorough hearing without delay. mr. president, i look forward to that hearing, and i yield the

6:17:40 to 6:30:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Amy Klobuchar

6:17:49 to 6:18:09( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: floor. ms. klobuchar: very much, mr. the presiding officer: the senatorrom minnesota. ms. klobuchar: i ask for recognized? the presiding officer: the senator frominnesota. ms. klobuchar: my colleague, senator shaheen, for her remarks and for her reminiscence of meeting with the

6:18:10 to 6:18:31( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: judge and her -- once again, the judge showing how she perseveres in the face of adversity. i also wanted to talk a little bit more -- i was ending my last comments talking about how in fact this nominee would bring more federal judicial experience to the supreme court than any skwrufrts in 100 years.

6:18:32 to 6:18:53( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: i -- justice in 100 years. i noted my exchange in the airport where someone wondered whether she was worthy of this, able to apply the facts and law. when you compare her to any of these other supreme court, she stands out. she stands out not only because of her unique background and she overcame obstacles to get here,

6:18:54 to 6:19:15( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: but she stands out because of her experience. all those years as a prosecutor, all those years as a federal judge, that makes a difference. i want to address one other point that's been made about judge sotomayor, is in her capacity as a judge, and it was something actually senator shaheen mentioned, and that's this temperament issue.

6:19:16 to 6:19:40( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: there comments, mostly anonymous, i would note, that questioned judge sotomayor's judicial temperament. according to one news story about this sotomayor developed a reputation for asking tough questions at oral arguments and for being sometimes pwrufbg and curt with

6:19:41 to 6:20:02( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: lawyers -- brusque and curt with lawyers. where i come from, asking tough questions and having very little patience for unprepared lawyers is the very definition of being a judge. i can't tel you how many times i've seen judges get very impatient with lawyers who weren't prepared and who didn't know the answer to a question. as a lawyer, you owe it to the

6:20:03 to 6:20:25( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: bench and to your clients to be well prepad as you can. as nina tottenberg said on national public radio, if sonia sotomayor dominates oral argument at her court, if she is feisty, pushy, she would fit

6:20:26 to 6:20:46( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: right in at the the united states supreme court. surely we have come to a time in this country where we can to-the-point female judges as we can confirm gru male judges. just think how far we have come with this nominee. when sandr

6:20:47 to 6:21:07( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: graduateed from law school 50-plus years ago, the only offer -- the only offer -- she position as a legal secretary. she had this great background, a very impressive background. and yet the only offer she got was as a legal secretary. judge ginsburg, who now sits on the court, faced similar

6:21:08 to 6:21:29( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: obstacles. when she entered harvard in the 1950's, she was the only one of nine women in a class of more than 500. one of nine women in a class of more than 500. and one professor actually asked her to justify taking a place that would have gone to a man in that class in harvard.

6:21:30 to 6:21:50( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: nine women, 500 spots, and someone actually asked her justify the fact that she was there. i suppose she could justify it now by saying she's now on the united states supreme court. later justice ginsburg was passed over for a prestigious clerkship despite her impressive credentials. looking at judge sotomayor's

6:21:51 to 6:22:13( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: long record as a lawyer, a prosecutor and a judge, you can see we've come a long way. she was confirmed by this senate by the district court. she was nominated at that point by the first president bush bush. she was confirmed by this senate for the second circuit. and she now faces confirmation hearing before our judiciary

6:22:14 to 6:22:34( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: again for a position with the united states supreme court. i will tell you this, mr. president. after learning about judge sotomayor, her background, her legal career, her judicial record, like so many of my colleagues, i'm very impressed. to use president obama's words, "i hope that judge sotomayor

6:22:35 to 6:22:55( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: will bring to her nomination hearing and to the s court, if she's confirmed, not only the knowledge and the experience acquired over a course of a brilliant legal career, but the wisdom accumulated from an inspiring life's journey." you know,

6:22:56 to 6:23:17( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: o'connor was on the "today" show and she was asked about her work on the court and what it was like. and she was actually asked about -- she was asked about judge sotomayor. and what she said was -- she said - over here at this.

6:23:18 to 6:23:38( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: she actually said, she was asked, when you retire, do you let it be known that you would like a woman to replace you, and you were sort of disappointed when a woman didn't replace you. so what is your reaction to justice sotomayor's nomination? and justice o'connor said, well, of course i'm pleased that we will have another woman on the court. i do think it's important not to

6:23:39 to 6:24:00( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: have just one. our nearest neighbor -- canada -- also has a court of nine members. and in canada, there's chief justice and there are four women all told on the canadian court. and then she was asked, do you think there's aight number of women who should be on the court?

6:24:01 to 6:24:23( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: justice o'connor this mning said, no, of course not. then she pointed out -- this is a quote -- but about half law graduates today are women, and have a tremendous number of qualified women in the country who are serving as lawyers, so they ought to be represented on the court.

6:24:24 to 6:24:45( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: she was also asked later in the interview abt opponents of justice sotomayor who have brought up this term "activist judge." she was asked that, i know that against in the past. what is it about the term that you object to? and she answered, "i don't think the public understands what's meant by it.

6:24:46 to 6:25:06( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: it's thrn around by many in the political field, and i think that probably the term, they're distinguishing between the role of a legislator and they say that a judge should not legislate. the problem, of course, justice o'connor said is at the appellate level, and the supreme court is at the top of the

6:25:07 to 6:25:27( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: appellate level, rulings at the court do become binding law. and so it's a little hard to talk in terms of who's an activi. i again ask people to look at justice sotomayor's opinions. when i t she talked about how she really uses a set formula: laying out the facts, laying out the law,

6:25:28 to 6:25:51( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: showing how the law applies to the facts, and then reaching a decision. and you also look at her record here, where in fact when she was on a three-judge panel with other, two other judges, you look at her record of when she agreed with judges who had been appointed by a republican

6:25:52 to 6:26:13( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: president, a 95% of they reached the same decision. so unless you believe those republican-appointed judges are somehow activist judges, then i guess you would say that she is' an activist judge. but i think when you look at her whole record, you see someone who's a moderate, sometimes coming down on one side and

6:26:14 to 6:26:34( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: sometimes coming down on another. i can tell you, as a former prosecutor, i always just looked at whether i agreed with a judge or not when i was trying to figure out if someone would be a good job. i would look at whether they applied the laws to the whether they were fair. and sometimes our prosecutors' office wouldn't agree with the judge's decision.

6:26:35 to 6:26:56( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: we would argue vehementlyor a different decision. but in the end, when we evaluated these judges, when we decided whether we thought they were fair, whether they'd be a fair person to have on a case, we really looked at that whole experience. we looked at that whole experience to make a decision about whether or not this was a judge that could be fair.

6:26:57 to 6:27:18( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: and that's what i think when you look at her record -- and i'm looking very much to this hearings where we're going to explore a number of cases. colleagues on one side of the aisle will disagree with one case, agree with the other. but you have to look at her record as a whole. you look at that record, you will see someone of experience,

6:27:19 to 6:27:39( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: someone who is thoul, someone who makes a decision -- someone who is thoughtful, someone who facts and based on the law. i am very much looking forwa to these hearings, mr. president. i know that some of my colleagues are coming down here as we speak i'm looking forward to their

6:27:40 to 6:28:00( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: arrival as we become ambassadors of truth to get these facts out bandied about and other things that really get into people's heads. and i think it's really important that for all of those watching c-span right now and for all of those that are in the galleries today, that people

6:28:01 to 6:28:21( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: take these the facts of her experience, over 100 years of judicial when you look back, 100 years, she has more experience on the bench than any of the that were nominated. you have to go back 100 years to find someone experience. and you look at that work that

6:28:22 to 6:28:44( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: she's d look at the work that she has done throughout her whole life where she basically come from nothing, worked her way, got into a good college, got into a good law school, did it on her home, maybe with a little help from her mom who bought those encyclopedia britannicas.

6:28:45 to 6:29:10( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: this is a nominee who not only understands the law and understands the constitution, but also understands america. thank you very much, mr. president, and i yield the floor. i ask quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

6:30:05 to 6:30:26( Edit History Discussion )

Amy Klobuchar: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. preside vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i'm pleased that my colleague from louisiana, senator landrieu, who has spoken many times in the p importance of fair judges and stro