On the recordDecember 11, 2017
I rise today in support of the nomination of Steve Grasz to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. One of the most important things this Senate has done this year and will do for the remainder of the year--and, in fact, well into 2018--is to consider nominees to the Federal courts. When I talk to Nebraskans, I constantly hear from women and men who tell me that the No. 1 issue they care about when they vote for President is the judiciary. Nebraskans want judges who understand that judges are not lawmakers. Nebraskans want judges who understand that a lifetime appointment isn't designed to do politics. Nebraskans want judges who understand that the courts are to uphold the laws fairly and impartially. My colleagues and I on the Judiciary Committee agree with those Nebraskans from townhalls and coffee shops and Rotary clubs. In the Judiciary Committee, we have worked to advance a record number of judges who know exactly that. We are looking for thoughtful men and women of integrity. That is why it is a pleasure today, it is an honor today, to come to the floor in support of Steve Grasz. Steve is a Nebraskan through and through. He is a fifth-generation Nebraskan who grew up on a family farm--walking beans, raising sheep and pigs, branding cattle. When he was a young man, life in the Nebraska Panhandle taught him hard work. He then moved east to Lincoln, where the University of Nebraska taught him the law.…
