Political Quotes

“Mr. President. I rise today in strong support of the historic confirmation of Margo K. Brodie to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Frankly, at this point, all of our nominees deserve special attention. With one out of 10 seats on the Federal bench still vacant, and with 14 nominees with strong bi-partisan support pending since last year, we should be focused today on confirming more than one nominee. However, Margo Brodie's nomination is of singular importance to my fellow New Yorkers, and to this country. First--to put it simply her presence is desperately needed on one of the busiest benches in the country, one that handles some of our most important cases. Second, Margo Brodie will be, by all accounts, the first Caribbean- born nominee in our Nation's history to be confirmed to an Article III court. As I've said many times, I look for three qualities in judicial candidates: excellence, moderation, and diversity. When excellence and moderation are both present in a candidate--as they are with Ms. Brodie--diversity is a bonus: a bonus that benefits the bench, the community, and Americans everywhere who might otherwise think that this kind of public service, or even a law degree, was beyond their reach. In fact, I think that a candidate like Ms. Brodie is especially well- qualified for a lifetime appointment to the court.…”