Confirmation of H. Brent McKnight to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina

Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I am very pleased that last night the Senate voted to confirm Brent McKnight, an outstanding North Carolina lawyer and jurist, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Judge McKnight, currently serving as US. Magistrate, has a stellar record of achievement and excellence. A native of Mooresville, North Carolina, he received his BA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and his law degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He was a Rhodes Scholar, earning an MA and Diploma in Theology at Oxford University.

Judge McKnight served as Assistant District Attorney for the State of North Carolina from 1982 through 1988, when he was elected District Court Judge for the 26th North Carolina Judicial District. During this time, we in North Carolina first saw the superior qualities that Judge McKnight brought to the bench—temperance, fairness, attention to detail and an abiding commitment to and concern for equal justice under the law. In fact, after just four years on the bench, Judge McKnight received a 97% approval rating from attorneys polled by Court Watch of North Carolina.

After four years of exemplary service on the North Carolina state court, Judge McKnight was appointed a United States Magistrate in May 1993. Judge McKnight has continued to build his reputation as an outstanding judge, earning the respect of lawyers and litigants throughout the state.

I can't tell you how many calls and letters I have received from people from across North Carolina telling me what an exceptional jurist and person Brent McKnight is. These folks attest to Judge McKnight's impeccable legal professionalism, both as a prosecutor and a Judge. I have no doubt that Judge McKnight will continue this record of excellence as a United States District Judge.

I was delighted to wholeheartedly support the nomination of Brent McKnight and am pleased that the full Senate has confirmed him to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. I wish him and his family—his wife Beth and their three boys, Brent, Matthew and Steven—well as he embarks on this next phase of his admirable career. I am confident that Judge McKnight, a consensus nominee who represents the mainstream of our state, will continue to serve the people of North Carolina and the United States with distinction.