Orrin Hatch: “I rise today on behalf of Mr. Joel Klein, who has been nominated for the position of Assistant Attorney General of the…”

“I rise today on behalf of Mr. Joel Klein, who has been nominated for the position of Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. Mr. Klein was reported out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously on May 5. As his record and testimony reflect, Joel Klein is a fine nominee for this position, and I am pleased that his nomination has finally been brought before the full Senate today. He has my strong support and, I believe, the strong support of every member of the Judiciary Committee. Now, I believe Mr. Klein is as fine a lawyer as any nominee who has come before this committee. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School before clerking for Chief Judge David Brazelon of the D.C. Circuit and then Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Mr. Klein went on to practice public interest law and later formed his own law firm, in which he developed an outstanding reputation as an appellate lawyer arguing--and winning--many important cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. For the past 2 years, Mr. Klein has ably served as Principal Deputy in the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, and for the past several months he has been the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. It is clear, both from his speeches and his enforcement decisions, that Mr. Klein is well within the mainstream of antitrust law and doctrine and will be a stabilizing influence at the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department.”