Political Quotes

“the judges that fill the two Federal district court seats in my home State have an extraordinary impact on the lives of Vermonters. So when I learned that one of my dearest friends, Judge William Sessions, was to take senior status after 18 years of distinguished service on the Vermont district court, I took seriously my responsibility to act swiftly to identify a candidate to recommend to President Obama for nomination. I worked with Senator Sanders, Representative Welch, and the Vermont Bar Association to convene a nonpartisan merit commission to find highly qualified candidates. So I again thank the nine members of the nonpartisan Vermont Judicial Selection Commission, under the leadership of Peter Van Oot, for the time, effort, and insight they invested in the screening process. We are fortunate in our small State of Vermont to have so many highly qualified lawyers in the field of applicants willing to serve in such a demanding post. There were a number of highly qualified people. After being vetted and recommended to me by the commission, I recommended Justice Geoffrey Crawford to President Obama. I told the President I was not surprised that after the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary finished its vetting, they gave him their highest rating of unanimously well qualified. Justice Crawford has significant criminal and civil experience.…”