Executive Session: Nomination of Allyson K. Duncan, of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit

Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I rise to enthusiastically express my support for the nomination of Allyson Duncan for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and Louise Wood Flanagan for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

This is a historic day for my home state of North Carolina. Once confirmed, Allyson Duncan will be the first North Carolinian to join the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 23 years. North Carolina is the only State in the Union with no judges on a Federal appellate court. And we have the longest-standing vacancy in the Federal appeals court system.

I was very proud to support Judge Duncan's nomination and it was my pleasure to introduce her during her confirmation hearing. She will restore the voice of North Carolina to this very important Federal Court and breaks a logjam that has damaged our state for too many years.

This historic development shows what can be done when the President truly respects the advice and consent role of the Senate. In this case, President Bush did more than just pay lip service to this important responsibility. He reached out to Senator DOLE and me before he made his decision—he consulted with us—he sought our advice.
In making his decision, the President selected a nominee who represents the mainstream of our state.

I commend the President for consulting with us and for making an excellent nomination. If he takes this approach to future judicial nominations we have a real opportunity to find common ground in the search for excellence on the Federal bench. When we work together, we find outstanding nominees like Allyson Duncan who represents the best of North Carolina.

As impressive as her resume is, even more telling is her steller repudiation throughout the North Carolina legal community. I have heard from folks all over the State who can't say enough about Allyson Duncan. What people keep telling me is that this is a woman of extraordinary intellect and skill, who loves the law, strives for justice and never allows politics to interfere with her commitment to fairness and equality.

When the Senate confirms Allyson Duncan—which I hope will happen soon—her confirmation will mark a number of "firsts."

She will be the first North Carolinian to join the 4th Circuit in over 20 years; she will be the first African American woman to serve on that distinguished court. And most important, I hope she will be the first in a series of bipartisan, consensus judicial nominations from our State.

I yield the floor.