Mark Pryor: “I wish to speak about a friend of mine and a Presidential nominee to be on the Federal bench in Arkansas. I will take 3…”

“I wish to speak about a friend of mine and a Presidential nominee to be on the Federal bench in Arkansas. I will take 3 to 5 minutes. I know there are others who want to speak. Today I rise to support the nomination of Judge James Moody--whom in Arkansas we call Jay Moody--to be a Federal judge in the Eastern District of Arkansas. Jay has been a phenomenal judge and lawyer for a long time in Arkansas. One of the things this nomination illustrates to me and I think also brings home to people around the country is that this body should not play games with the third branch of government. We have our own issues. This body can be dysfunctional and highly partisan. Let's not export that to the judiciary. We have a fine man who has offered his services to be a Federal judge. If you look at what I like to look at, Is he well qualified? Yes, absolutely. Everyone agrees on that. Can he be fair and impartial? That is what you want in a judge. The answer is yes, he can be very fair and impartial. He has demonstrated that as a member of the Arkansas bench for a long time now. Also, especially in a district court position, does he have the right judicial temperament? I think every person who has ever dealt with Judge Jay Moody will say that he not only has the right temperament, but he meets and exceeds all of these criteria across the board. He is exactly the kind of judge we should all want. In fact, there is no reason why Judge Moody was not confirmed back in December.…”