Amy Klobuchar: “I rise in support of the nominee to be the next U.S. district court judge for the District of Minnesota--that would be…”

“I rise in support of the nominee to be the next U.S. district court judge for the District of Minnesota--that would be Jerry Blackwell. I would like to thank Senator Durbin, chair of the Judiciary Committee, and all the members of the Judiciary Committee, including yourself, Mr. President, for shepherding Mr. Blackwell's nomination through the committee, and I would like to thank Leader Schumer for making time for the Senate to consider his nomination, and my colleague Senator Smith for her work as well in support of the nomination. Jerry Blackwell is one of the most respected and accomplished litigators in the State of Minnesota. He has nearly 35 years of trial experience, has been named Minnesota Attorney of the Year five times, has argued over 1,000 motions in State and Federal court, and served as lead counsel in over 100 cases. This is why he received a bipartisan vote in the Judiciary Committee, including with the support of the ranking member, and why I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support his confirmation. Jerry has always been driven by his commitment to serve others--a commitment that started early in his life. His dad was a truckdriver who started working after the 10th grade, and his mom worked in a textile mill. She struggled with health conditions and was on dialysis from the time Jerry was 5 years old. They raised Jerry in a textile mill town in North Carolina in a home without running water.…”