Nomination of William Duane Benton to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit

NOMINATION OF WILLIAM DUANE BENTON TO BE UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the next nomination.

The legislative clerk read the nomination of William Duane Benton, of Missouri, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to speak in support of a distinguished Missourian, my good friend Duane Benton, to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Judge Benton is a respected jurist and committed public servant. I am very pleased the Senate is taking action on Judge Benton for this important position. The Members voting on this nomination, after reviewing his many accomplishments, will find Judge Benton to have an impressive record of public service and an exemplary judicial record and conclude that he will make an excellent addition to the federal judiciary.

Judge Benton currently serves on the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri. Judge Benton was appointed to the court in 1991, and also has served as its chief judge. Judge Benton has earned a reputation as a judge with a distinguished intellect who has a skill for uniting his colleagues on difficult questions. His work ethic, approach and reasoning are highly regarded by the lawyers of Missouri.

In addition to his service on the judiciary, Judge Benton brings an impressive breadth of experience to this position. His experience coupled with his judicial record give him a command of a wide range of legal matters. Judge Benton is a Certified Public Accountant-the only CPA serving on any supreme court in the United States. Judge Benton was Missouri's chief tax expert, serving as director of the Missouri Department of Revenue. Judge Benton was member of the United States Navy, serving as a judge advocate for a number of years.

Judge Benton earned his degree at Northwestern University; his law degree at Yale University School of Law, where he also served as editor of the Yale Law Journal; a Masters of Business Administration at Memphis State University and a Masters of Law at the University of Virginia.

Judge Benton has also found time to be active in the communities in which he has lived. While his activities are too numerous to name, he has given his time from coaching baseball to serving on the Board of Regents for Central Missouri State University.

He retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve as a captain, after 30 years of active and reserve duty. He is a Vietnam veteran, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Navy League, the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Missouri Military Advisory Committee.

The U.S. Court of Appeals is truly the second most important court in the land. Nearly every Federal case ends up before the court in some manner. Its decisions impact every aspect of society. To these positions, I believe it is imperative that the President nominate people of distinguished intellect and character with a breadth of legal experience. This standard has been far surpassed with the nomination of Judge Benton. With his knowledge and experience, he will make an outstanding addition to the Federal judiciary.