Rick Allen: “I remember him being there. I remember the joy of that committee meeting. Miguel Estrada was there. His wife was there.…”

“I remember him being there. I remember the joy of that committee meeting. Miguel Estrada was there. His wife was there. His mother Clara and his sister Maria were all there. They were so proud of this young man, who came to this country from Honduras as a teenager. He was unable to speak English. He applied himself, worked hard, and went on to an Ivy League school for undergraduate studies. He then went to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude. He later worked in the Solicitor General's Office under President Clinton, where he argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, winning most of them. He also clerked for Supreme Court Justices. The American Bar Association unanimously recommended him with their highest qualifications. It was really a day of joy. It was uplifting. There were four vacancies on the court. I remember saying 'adelante', come, 'Miguel Estrada.' So people were charged up about this country seeing that a Horatio Alger story still was possible.”