One of the cases the lead counsel in for the SEC involves a fraud action against Sentinel Management Company.

I believe that a good judge is a judge that follows the rule of law so that the parties know what to expect when coming before a judge; that a good judge is also courteous and kind and respectful, shows no bias toward any party; and…

Senator, why do you Senators always pick prosecutors to be judges? You should be more balanced in your approach.

Getting forensics right is of enormous importance.

When you look at the caseload that faces the Federal Circuit Court, we talked about some of the things, intellectual property cases I think take up a third of the matters that are involved there.

In my view, the most important quality for a judge to possess is impartiality, respectfulness, respect not just for the parties who appear in the court but also just the respect for the institution of the judiciary, respect for the rule of…

I think we see a real opportunity of getting a bipartisan cybersecurity bill. It will be a miracle if we do it, but as I say, it is the greatest national threat.

The tragedy that hit Oklahoma earlier this week--killing innocent people and children and destroying homes, businesses, and schools--just reminds us of how vulnerable we are to the forces of nature. It wasn't the first time the wind blew…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 99, nays 0, not voting 1, as follows…

To respond to the Senator from Texas, we have been through this before. In the House of Representatives they threatened not to extend the debt ceiling of the United States and caused severe damage to our economy. Business leaders, labor…

I am sorry, I am mistaken, and, thankfully, have been corrected. It is not a filibuster. It would call for using the House resolution of 50 hours of debate and another vote-arama to go through the regular order of things. It is not a…

I yielded for a question, and I will respond. Then you may ask another, if you wish. It is the regular order of things to ask for unanimous consent, and it is the usual and customary way the Senate works so that we don't have to repeat all…

I expected that. I would say to the Senator from Arizona there were answers, and I thought good answers, but not good enough. We passed a budget resolution. The Senator was here. It passed by one vote. We stayed until early in the morning…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING…

I just checked with the majority leader to make sure my memory is correct. The Senator from Texas will learn that when we go to a conference committee, we are subjected to a possibility of a filibuster. Does that ring a note of familiarity…

Sixty-one days we have been begging the Republicans--we have been begging the Republicans, not all of them, to give us an opportunity to go to conference and work out our differences, if we can. That is the regular order. And each time we…

Yes. The Senate majority leader is on the floor, and he has said if there is to be a motion to instruct conferees on the debt ceiling, for example, then we can have a vote on the floor of the Senate. That is the regular order.

But to condition the granting of the unanimous consent request to go to conference on the concern du jour of whichever Senator comes to the floor is unproductive. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

I will in one moment, as soon as I finish replying to the Senator from Texas. So the notion this debt ceiling is something we can casually say whether it is approved and extended makes no difference--it makes a big difference. And whether…

I will yield the floor, because others wish to speak, but I will say that at this point in time we have passed a Senate budget resolution. We were challenged by the Republicans to do it, and we did it. It wasn't easy. It was a close vote…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blumenthal). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 45, nays 54, as…

I was always warned that when you are doing well in a court case, do not keep talking.

Thank you, Senator Sessions, and I know that you are busy with a bill on the floor.

I and the Department are firmly committed to the Whistleblower Protection Act and think that it is a critical role to protecting Federal workers and, indeed, to the operation of our Government.

I haven't yielded the floor as yet, and I think the Senator from Texas had a question for me.