Nomination of Taylor B. McNeel

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the nomination of Taylor Brantley McNeel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. We will vote in a few minutes on the first vote for this outstanding nominee, the cloture vote, and then I have every reason to believe that tomorrow, this outstanding candidate will be confirmed for elevation to the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Mississippi.

Sometimes when we vote, those confirmation votes are party-line votes. I think, happily, many times they are bipartisan. Based on conversations across the aisle, I have every reason to believe that the vote on Taylor McNeel will, in fact, be bipartisan. I certainly hope it will be because his support back home in Mississippi is certainly bipartisan and multicultural because he is such an outstanding individual and such an outstanding attorney and an outstanding member of our State community.

Taylor McNeel's life has been marked by excellence at every point. Of course, he is a great lawyer. He is a partner in the law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, where he oversees the gulf coast office for this large law firm. Taylor McNeel has led a distinguished career in the firm, with extensive experience in both bench and jury trials in Federal and State courts. He has served as lead counsel for numerous appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, the Mississippi Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His clients include individuals, government entities, and businesses covering a vast range of law.

I believe Senators should be impressed also by his work on behalf of disadvantaged members of our community back home. He maintains a strong pro bono practice, representing clients who would not normally be able to afford legal services. I think he is to be commended for that.

His academic credentials are impeccable. He was a cum laude graduate from the University of Mississippi, where he received his undergraduate degree. As an undergraduate, he was an outstanding athlete as well as leader. He was a member of the Ole Miss Rebel football team and was elected senior class president of that outstanding university.

He went on to receive his juris doctor degree cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he served on the Mississippi Law Journal.

Taylor McNeel has been widely recognized as a young lawyer to watch. He has been named a Mid-South Rising Star in business litigation for 8 years in a row and has been listed 3 years in a row in the 40 & Under Hot List for the United States in benchmark litigation. Is it any wonder, then, that he has received a unanimous ``qualified'' rating by the American Bar Association? Of course, we know that the highest rating a candidate for district judge can receive is the rating of ``qualified,'' and the fact that this was done unanimously by the committee--it just doesn't get any better than that for a candidate for district judge.

It is important to note also that Mr. McNeel is an outstanding and active member in his community and is widely respected there. He serves on the school board of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. I might add that is a racially diverse school district. He is an elder in his church, First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula, and he has been a member of the Rotary Club of Biloxi.

Pascagoula is in Jackson County, where he is an outstanding citizen. Biloxi is in Harrison County, and he is a leader there. They are two of our most populous counties in the State of Mississippi, and he stands head and shoulders above the crowd in both of those.

He has been president of the Harrison County Bar Association and holds memberships in the American Inns of Court, the Federal Bar Association, Fifth Circuit Bar Association, and the Federalist Society.

Taylor and his wife Jessica have three children: Mollie, age 10; Taylor, age 7; and Brantley Rose, born on the 2nd day of this month.

He has his hands full. I think he will be able to balance being a dad as well as a district judge. He has outstanding qualifications in the academic field, the judicial field, and his personal qualifications are absolutely out of this world. I am confident he will serve the Southern District of Mississippi and our country well if confirmed.

We will vote on cloture in a few moments. Again, I am sincerely hoping and believe we will--based on conversations--have a bipartisan vote, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on the confirmation of Taylor McNeel.

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