Orrin Hatch: “as you know, I do not take the floor very often unless I consider it very important. One of the most lasting legacies of…”

“as you know, I do not take the floor very often unless I consider it very important. One of the most lasting legacies of a President are the Federal judges he appoints for life. These judges are every bit as much a part of the Federal anti-crime effort as FBI and DEA agents and prosecutors. Mr. President, the American people are going to face stark choices on a range of issues in November. One of those choices will be whether we resume the appointment of hard-nosed Federal judges who are tougher on crime than we can expect from the incumbent. President Clinton talks about cops on the beat. Yet, he appoints some judges who are too willing to put criminals back on the street. Let me tell the American people about Timothy Sherman of Maryland. He was convicted in Maryland State court for the brutal shotgun murders of his mother and step-father. The murder occurred in the middle of the night when Timothy Sherman, who was 17 at the time, was at home. There was no indication of forced entry. Indeed, the home had an alarm system. The 12-gauge shotgun used in the murder belonged to the Shermans. Timothy Sherman's fingerprints were on the shotgun's trigger mechanism. A box holding five 12-gauge shotgun shells was found under his mattress, with two of the shells missing. The police found two matching expended shells that experts concluded were fired from the shotgun.…”