Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to the nomination of Justin Walker to the DC Circuit. There are four main reasons for my opposition, and I would like to address each. First, Judge Walker does not have the experience we would expect of a nominee to the DC Circuit, which is considered the second most powerful court in the Nation. Judge Walker was confirmed to the Western District of Kentucky on October 24, 2019. He has just 7 months of experience as a sitting Federal district court Judge. Moreover, as Judge Walker disclosed in the questionnaire he submitted to the Judiciary Committee, in those 7 months he has presided over no bench or jury trials. Although appellate judges don't preside over jury selection, sentencing, or decisions on the admissibility of evidence, they are regularly called upon to examine the decisions of district court judges on these and other matters. In light of that, Judge Walker's lack of trial experience should alone be a bar to his elevation to the circuit. Second, I have serious concerns about Judge Walker's views on Executive power and agency independence. Questions around these issues frequently come before the DC Circuit, and so Judge Walker's views are highly relevant to his nomination. Judge Walker has argued against the independence of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, going so far as to claim that the FBI Director should be an ``agent'' of the President.…”