Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee - Judicial Nominations

Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee - Judicial Nominations

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar today introduced Judge William Lawrence at his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing. Lawrence has been nominated to serve as U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Indiana. Lugar's opening statement follows:

Mr. Chairman, it is my privilege to introduce an outstanding district court nominee for the Southern District of Indiana, William Thomas Lawrence.

I would first like to thank Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy, Ranking Member Arlen Specter and the presiding Chairman for holding this hearing today and for moving promptly on this nomination.

I am pleased that Bill is joined here today by his wife Jeanie, his daughter Kate Simons, and his brother Tony.

Mr. Chairman, on December 18, 2007, the Senate voted to confirm the nomination of John Tinder to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court. John was a distinguished leader on the Indiana Southern District Court, and I knew that his successor would need to possess the same degree of integrity and intelligence.

Given this need for strong leadership, I was pleased to commend William Lawrence to President Bush for consideration. This selection was the product of a bipartisan process and reflective of the importance of finding highly qualified federal judges to carry forward the tradition of fair, principled, and collegial leadership.

I have known Bill for many years, and I have always been impressed with his high energy, resolute integrity, and remarkable dedication to public service.

William Lawrence attended Indiana University where he received both his undergraduate and law degrees. He immediately entered private practice but also devoted time to serve as a public defender in the Marion County, Indiana courts. Subsequently, he served part-time as a Master Commissioner of the Marion County Circuit Court.

In 1996, Judge Lawrence was elected to the Marion County Circuit Court. In this position, he built a reputation for fairness and efficiency. The Marion County Circuit Court is one of the busiest in the state of Indiana. In less than three years, Judge Lawrence reduced the number of pending cases by twenty percent. This impressive performance on the bench led to his appointment in 2002 to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge.

Throughout Bill's career, his reputation for personal courtesy, fairness, decency and integrity was equally well-earned and widespread among colleagues and opposing counsel alike and on both sides of the political aisle.

I am also pleased that Bill's experience and professionalism were recognized by the American Bar Association which bestowed a rating, by a substantial majority of the committee, of "well qualified."

I would like to thank, again, the Chairman for this opportunity to present William Lawrence to the Committee. I believe that he will demonstrate remarkable leadership and will appropriately uphold and defend our laws under the Constitution.

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