Executive Session

EXECUTIVE SESSION -- (Senate - February 01, 2007)

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NOMINATION OF LAWRENCE JOSEPH O'NEILL

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to support Judge Lawrence O'Neill's nomination to the Eastern District of California.

His confirmation would help to alleviate a judicial emergency in the Eastern District of California.

The Fresno Division, to which Judge O'Neill is nominated, is suffering from a particularly acute overload of cases.

Judge Anthony Ishii and Senior Judge Oliver Wanger are currently the only judges on the Fresno Division of the Eastern District. Their average caseload is the highest in the Nation.

The people of Fresno and the Eastern District truly need the help that Judge O'Neill will provide.

Fortunately, Judge O'Neill is uniquely qualified to step in and offer immediate relief to the Eastern District because he has been a magistrate judge in the District since 1999.

In addition, for the last 17 years, Judge O'Neill has been a judge in California, spending 10 years as a superior court judge in Fresno before becoming a magistrate.

He is a homegrown Californian. He was born in Oakland, CA, and attended school in California. He received a bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's degree in public education from Golden Gate University, and a law degree from Hastings College of Law.

Before attending law school, he was a police officer for the city of San Leandro. I believe this additional perspective will prove an asset on the bench.

I was pleased to learn that the American Bar Association unanimously declared Judge O'Neill to be ``well qualified,' the ABA's highest rating.

In California, we have developed a bipartisan process for selecting Federal district court nominees. Under this system, a committee of lawyers, including Democrats and Republicans, recommends qualified applicants to the President.

The fact that Judge O'Neill's nomination was a product of this commission gives me confidence that he comes to the bench without an ideological agenda and is prepared to serve all the people of California.

NOMINATION OF VALERIE L. BAKER

Mr. President, it is my pleasure to support Judge Valerie Baker, a distinguished nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The Central District of California, based in Los Angeles, is the largest and busiest Federal judicial district in the Nation. Judge Baker would be a welcome addition to this important court.

Judge Baker has been a trial court judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court for nearly 20 years and previously served on Los Angeles Municipal Court.

In 1994, she was awarded the Alfred J. McCourtney Trial Judge of the Year Award from the Consumer Lawyers of Los Angeles.

Judge Baker is also a seasoned litigator, with Federal experience in criminal and civil cases. With the law firm of Lillick, McHose & Charles she specialized in Federal business litigation and antitrust law. As an assistant U.S. attorney, Judge Baker prosecuted bank robberies, major drug violations, and fraudulent enterprises.

At the University of California at Santa Barbara, she earned a bachelor of arts degree and a master's degree in English, and she received a law degree from UCLA.

Off the bench, Judge Baker has devoted herself to charities helping the Los Angeles community.

As a board member of the UCLA Law School Alumni Association, she chaired a committee to recruit qualified minority students. She also served on the board of a non-profit shelter for homeless teenagers and sat on the board of directors of the Braille Institute of Los Angeles.

The American Bar Association has given Judge Baker a unanimous ``well qualified' rating, the Association's highest mark.

I am proud of the bipartisan process for selecting Federal district court nominees that we have developed in California. Under this system, a committee of lawyers, including Democrats and Republicans, recommends qualified applicants to the President.

Judge Baker came through this committee, which gives me confidence that she comes to the bench without an ideological agenda and is prepared to serve all the people of California.

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