The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“EXECUTIVE SESSION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S2554-S2557 on April 30, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
EXECUTIVE SESSION
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NOMINATION OF SHERYL H. LIPMAN TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR
THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
______
NOMINATION OF STANLEY ALLEN BASTIAN TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
______
NOMINATION OF MANISH S. SHAH TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
______
NOMINATION OF DANIEL D. CRABTREE TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR
THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
______
NOMINATION OF CYNTHIA ANN BASHANT TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
______
NOMINATION OF JON DAVID LEVY TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE
DISTRICT OF MAINE
______
NOMINATION OF ROBERT O. WORK TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations, which the clerk will report.
The bill clerk read the nominations of Sheryl H. Lipman, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee; Stanley Allen Bastian, of Washington, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington; Manish S. Shah, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; Daniel D. Crabtree, of Kansas, to be United States District Judge for the District of Kansas; Cynthia Ann Bashant, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California; Jon David Levy, of Maine, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maine; and Robert O. Work, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Defense.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. REID. Madam President, I have not had the opportunity--and it is my fault--to speak to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, but hoping he will not be upset, I ask unanimous consent that the 2 minutes prior to this first vote be yielded back, and then I will talk to Senator Leahy to see how he feels about the others.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Vote On Lipman Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Sheryl H. Lipman, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee?
Mr. INHOFE. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--95
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBarrassoBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownBurrCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCoburnCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynCrapoCruzDonnellyDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHaganHarkinHatchHeinrichHeitkampHellerHironoHoevenInhofeIsaksonJohannsJohnson (SD)Johnson (WI)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLeeLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMikulskiMoranMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRischRobertsRockefellerRubioSandersSchatzSchumerScottSessionsShaheenShelbyStabenowTesterThuneToomeyUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--5
BoozmanCochranPryorVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
Vote on Bastian Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 2 minutes of debate prior to a vote on the Bastian nomination.
Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all remaining debate time be yielded back.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Stanley Allen Bastian, of Washington, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington?
Mr. SCOTT. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--95
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBarrassoBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownBurrCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCoburnCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynCrapoCruzDonnellyDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHaganHarkinHatchHeinrichHeitkampHellerHironoHoevenInhofeIsaksonJohannsJohnson (SD)Johnson (WI)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLeeLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMikulskiMoranMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRischRobertsRockefellerRubioSandersSchatzSchumerScottSessionsShaheenShelbyStabenowTesterThuneToomeyUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--5
BoozmanCochranPryorVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
Vote on Shah Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Manish S. Shah, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois?
Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate Manish Shah. I am proud to have put forward Mr. Shah to be a Federal district court judge for Northern Illinois. I thank President Obama for nominating him. I thank the Senate for voting to confirm Manish Shah.
Senator Durbin, Illinois' senior Senator, and I work to ensure Illinois has highly skilled judges to help strengthen our courts. Mr. Shah was such a judicial nominee.
In Illinois, Mr. Shah has established himself as an outstanding lawyer and dedicated public servant. He was among the most experienced prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois. Now with Senate confirmation, Mr. Shah starts the next phase of his legal career. He is ready to take a seat on the Federal bench.
We, as Americans, should be proud of Manish Shah. He is a great American success story. Mr. Shah was born in New York. His parents emigrated from India and raised their two sons in West Hartford, CT. Mr. Shah attended Stanford University and graduated with honors and distinction. He attended the University of Chicago Law School, and again he graduated with honors.
After law school, Shah was a litigation associate at Heller Ehrman in San Francisco and clerked for Hon. James B. Zagel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Mr. Shah joined the Chicago U.S. attorney's office in September 2001 and prosecuted violent crime, international drug trafficking, complex fraud, and public corruption. During his time as a Federal prosecutor, Mr. Shah developed a stellar record--notably, Mr. Shah worked with former U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Mr. Shah and a team of prosecutors and Federal agents investigated and prosecuted a series of cases arising out of the city of Chicago's Hired Truck Program and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
While working at the U.S. attorney's office Mr. Shah served in several leadership positions. He was a deputy chief of the General Crimes Section and the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Section, and he was the chief of the Appellate Section. Mr. Shah was the chief of the Criminal Division and responsible for supervising the prosecutions in the Northern District of Illinois handled by the approximately 130 Assistant U.S. attorneys. These are the types of life and work experiences that make great judges.
Mr. Shah will be a knowledgeable jurist who will provide a fair forum for the resolution of civil disputes and the prosecution of alleged crimes. I am sure Mr. Shah will have a long and stellar career on the Federal bench in the Northern District of Illinois. I am certain Mr. Shah will be a top-rate judge.
I congratulate Mr. Shah on his confirmation. I look forward to following his judicial career.
Congratulations, Manish Shah. I wish you well.
Mr. FRANKEN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--95
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBarrassoBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownBurrCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCoburnCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynCrapoCruzDonnellyDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHaganHarkinHatchHeinrichHeitkampHellerHironoHoevenInhofeIsaksonJohannsJohnson (SD)Johnson (WI)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLeeLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMikulskiMoranMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRischRobertsRockefellerRubioSandersSchatzSchumerScottSessionsShaheenShelbyStabenowTesterThuneToomeyUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--5
BoozmanCochranPryorVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
Vote on Crabtree Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Daniel D. Crabtree, of Kansas, to be United States District Judge for the District of Kansas?
Mr. SESSIONS. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second.
There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll
The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Mikulski) and the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) are necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman, the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heinrich). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 94, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--94
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBarrassoBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownBurrCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCoburnCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynCrapoCruzDonnellyDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHaganHarkinHatchHeinrichHeitkampHellerHironoHoevenInhofeIsaksonJohannsJohnson (SD)Johnson (WI)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLeeLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMoranMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRischRobertsRockefellerRubioSandersSchatzSchumerScottSessionsShaheenShelbyStabenowTesterThuneToomeyUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--6
BoozmanCochranMikulskiPryorVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
Vote on Bashant Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Cynthia Ann Bashant, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California?
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues to support the nomination of Judge Cynthia Bashant to the Federal district court in San Diego.
As my colleagues know, I recommend candidates to the President through a bipartisan judicial selection process. Judge Bashant excelled in this process, earning my recommendation to President Obama.
I am confident she will do an outstanding job on the Federal bench.
She earned her bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1982 and her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1986.
She spent 3 years practicing civil litigation at the law firm MacDonald Halsted & Layborne, which later became part of the firm Baker
& McKenzie.
In 1989, she joined the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego, where she tried at least 15 cases in Federal court.
Judge Bashant served as deputy chief of the narcotics unit in San Diego from 1995 to 1997, and then as chief of the border crimes unit from 1997 to 1998.
During her prosecutorial career, she prosecuted numerous important cases. One was a major drug trafficking case that involved: the Sinaloa drug cartel; a 1,600-foot tunnel under the southern border; 23 defendants; and wiretaps in Chicago, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
She prosecuted an individual who robbed more than 20 banks, a local record in San Diego at the time.
Just after the Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994, Judge Bashant prosecuted the first Federal domestic violence case in the Southern District of California and one of the first in the Nation.
The defendant was accused of luring his wife, who had just filed for divorce, into their car, after which he took her to Mexico against her will, beat her black and blue, and cut off all of her hair. The defendant pleaded guilty to violating a provision of VAWA designed to criminalize precisely this sort of conduct.
In one of her other cases, the defendant was a human smuggler. To avoid a checkpoint, he led a large group of undocumented immigrants across the Interstate 5 freeway on foot. The group included a mother and her six children, ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old.
The 6-year old boy was killed by oncoming traffic in front of his mother. The smuggler simply left the mother and her five other children by the side of the road.
In preparation for trial, Judge Bashant met extensively with the mother, who understandably was distraught and afraid to testify. Judge Bashant and the mother's sister helped the mother be ready to testify against the smuggler.
Ultimately, Judge Bashant secured a guilty plea from the defendant, and the court imposed several sentencing enhancements on him.
For her work on this case, Judge Bashant won the Justice Department's Victim-Witness Award.
She also won numerous other DOJ awards, including the Director's Award for Superior Performance and special commendations 6 years in a row.
In 2000, Judge Bashant was appointed to the San Diego Superior Court.
As a judge, she has presided over more than 1,000 cases that have gone to verdict or judgment--including more than 100 criminal jury trials.
She has been a leader on the superior court, as well as in the San Diego community. Most recently, she was presiding judge of the Juvenile Court from 2009 to 2012.
In 2012, the San Diego Juvenile Justice Commission named her Judge of the Year.
She served as chair of the San Diego Commission on Children, Youth, and Families, which advises the county board of supervisors on issues affecting family well-being.
She served on the San Diego County Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council as well.
She also has served as president and currently serves on the advisory board of the Lawyers Club of San Diego--a highly respected organization that works to promote gender equality in the legal profession.
She also has served on the board of the Children's Initiative of San Diego, which was established in 1992 to advocate for effective policies to support the health and well-being of children, youth, and families in San Diego.
Simply put, Judge Bashant is a perfect fit for this position. She has experience in private practice. She spent 11 years as a Federal prosecutor in San Diego. She has been running her own courtroom for 13 years.
I have no doubt she will hit the ground running on the Southern District, which has the third-greatest criminal caseload per judgeship in the Nation.
Beyond her qualifications and experience, Judge Bashant clearly is an outstanding woman and a real leader. As one of her judicial colleagues told my judicial selection committee, Judge Bashant is ``an energetic, smart, really impressive hard worker who `really cares.' ''
So, I am very proud to have recommended Judge Bashant to the President, and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
Mr. SCOTT. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The result was announced--yeas 94, nays 0, as follows:
YEAS--94
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBarrassoBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownBurrCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCoburnCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynCrapoCruzDonnellyDurbinEnziFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrahamGrassleyHaganHarkinHatchHeinrichHeitkampHellerHironoHoevenInhofeIsaksonJohannsJohnson (SD)Johnson (WI)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLeeLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMikulskiMoranMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRischRobertsRockefellerSandersSchatzSchumerScottSessionsShaheenShelbyStabenowTesterThuneToomeyUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NOT VOTING--6
BoozmanCochranPryorRubioVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, the last rollcall vote will occur in a matter of a few seconds, and after that there will be a voice vote.
The first series of votes tomorrow will be at 11:15 a.m. Starting at 1:45 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, we will have up to four votes. If we are fortunate, there will only be two or three votes.
This is the last vote tonight. We start at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow morning, and then at 1:45 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
Vote on Levy Nomination
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Jon David Levy, of Maine, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maine?
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Pryor) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 75, nays 20, as follows:
YEAS--75
AlexanderAyotteBaldwinBegichBennetBlumenthalBluntBookerBoxerBrownCantwellCardinCarperCaseyChamblissCoatsCollinsCoonsCorkerCornynDonnellyDurbinFeinsteinFischerFlakeFrankenGillibrandGrassleyHaganHarkinHeinrichHeitkampHironoHoevenIsaksonJohnson (SD)KaineKingKirkKlobucharLandrieuLeahyLevinManchinMarkeyMcCainMcCaskillMcConnellMenendezMerkleyMikulskiMurkowskiMurphyMurrayNelsonPaulPortmanReedReidRockefellerRubioSandersSchatzSchumerShaheenStabenowTesterThuneUdall (CO)Udall (NM)WalshWarnerWarrenWhitehouseWyden
NAYS--20
BarrassoBurrCoburnCrapoCruzEnziGrahamHatchHellerInhofeJohannsJohnson (WI)LeeMoranRischRobertsScottSessionsShelbyToomey
NOT VOTING--5
BoozmanCochranPryorVitterWicker
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote the yeas are 75, the nays are 20. The nomination is confirmed.
Vote on Work Nomination
Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination of Robert O. Work, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Defense?
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table. The President will be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.
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