Senate Proceeding on Oct 21st, 2009 :: 4:26:45 to 4:30:35
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4:26:42 to 4:26:54( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: protects -- and its people. mr. president, i s absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

4:26:45 to 4:30:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jeff Sessions

4:27:09 to 4:27:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: the presiding officer mr. sessions: mr. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding office without objection. mr. sessions: mr. president, i want to briefly make a few comments about we'll have soon supporting this nominee. i saw him as a ranking member of

4:27:31 to 4:27:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: the judiciary committee and we made inquiry of him. i liked him. he handled himself well. he's a strong, ardent democrat all of his life, an active democrat, believe, the university of south dakota. he has

4:27:52 to 4:28:14( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: there. i think has the commitment -- he said he did, and i believe him -- that once he puts on that robe, he's not going to allow his politics to influence his decision making. that he'll be objective and fair. that he'll comply with the oath that a judge takes that they will be impartial.

4:28:15 to 4:28:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: he -- that he will do equal justice to the poor and the and that he would serve under the constitution and laws of the united states. and so i -- we moved him forward and i'm glad he'll be confirmed. i would just note, mr. president, that some nominees i will not be able to sup

4:28:38 to 4:28:59( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: i would expect that i or some others would object to and it is our responsibility to make decisions about judges and whether or not once they're given that lifetime a they're given an decisions that can't be -- can't be removed for bad decision making that we need to

4:29:00 to 4:29:20( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: be careful. we need to be cautious about it. i believe the president has just submitted two more the district bench. there are 74 vacancies in t federal courts in america today. a few days ago nominations pending. this is one of them.

4:29:21 to 4:29:41( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: now there are 11 nominations, i understand pending, and i think as the president gets his machine up and starts submitting nominees, we'll have good hearings. my view is it doesn't make any difference to me if they're an active partisan campaigning democrat, that's fine.

4:29:42 to 4:30:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: the question simply is: once they put on the robe and they're required to decide cases, can they put aside their personal feelings and back grounds, emotions and partisanship? most judges can't. i practiced in alabama. judges run on a party ticket.

4:30:03 to 4:30:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: they run as republicans and democrats. everybody knows which ones of them, very few that carry those biases with them -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. sessions: i thank and would urge my colleagues to support the the presiding officer: the question is on the lange nomination.

4:30:25 to 4:30:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be.