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“NOMINATION OF TERRENCE L. O'BRIEN” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S2661 on April 15, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOMINATION OF TERRENCE L. O'BRIEN
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from North Carolina and the Senator from Alaska for their courtesies. I appreciate this opportunity to speak on behalf of the circuit court judge who we will be voting on at 5:30 p.m.
I am so pleased we are having this vote. I have known Terry O'Brien both personally and professionally for over 22 years. I am proud of my association and friendship with him. It is not often that we get to vote on a close friend in this body.
In a few minutes, I and my colleagues will have the opportunity to vote to confirm Terry O'Brien to serve on the Tenth Circuit. The Senate Judiciary Committee recognized that Terry is highly qualified to serve in this position when it unanimously voted him out of committee. While the committee members had an opportunity to review Terry's accomplishments and get to know him during his hearing, I would like to share some information about Terry with the rest of my colleagues.
After Terry served as a captain in the U.S. Army and worked as an attorney at the Division of Land and Natural Resource in the Department of Justice, he came back to Wyoming to practice law in Buffalo at the law firm of Omohundro & O'Brien. Then in 1980, he was appointed to be a district judge for the Sixth Judicial District in Wyoming located in Gillette, WY. As a result, he moved to Gillette where he remained for 22 years.
Terry continued to be our judge until he retired from that position 2 years ago. As mayor of Gillette, I had an opportunity to observe what the local district judge just down the street from my business was doing in the community. Believe me, those who came before him let me know what they thought, too. What I saw and people observed is that Terry had a no-nonsense, fair approach to the law and to the parties involved. He made his decisions based squarely on the law, the facts, and careful consideration, and he explained his reasons for what he was doing. Even if you were the party or the attorney who lost, you always knew where he stood because he took the time to be certain to explain his reasoning and rationale to you.
My other observation is that Terry ran his court effectively, professionally, and efficiently. He never wasted anyone else's time nor let any of the parties or their attorneys waste each other's time, either.
As to his decisions, they are not full of legal jargon or unnecessary words. Instead, he explains the law so everyone can understand it. To me, this makes him a very good judge and an exceptional writer.
On a personal level, we have known each other over 22 years. We were in the same community for that time and watched each other's children grow up. Terry always cared about our community and made many contributions to it. One notable contribution is the 13 years he served as the president and a member of the board of directors of the Campbell County Health Care Foundation.
But the most important thing I want to stress is the fact that I have gotten to know Terry both professionally and personally. I can give my personal assurance that our country will benefit from his many talents. I am confident he will be a stellar judge for the Tenth Circuit Court, and I am proud to make this recommendation to my colleagues in the Senate.
He began his service to our country as a captain in the U.S. Army, and I hope you will help him to continue his service as a U.S. Tenth Circuit Court judge.
I thank the Chair for this opportunity to talk about my friend, Terry O'Brien.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I know we are close to the voting time. I recommend to all of my friends in the Senate that we approve Judge O'Brien. Certainly, no one has been as qualified, as my colleague pointed out.
In the appointment process, we had a committee sort through the judge prospects in our State, and they came up with Judge O'Brien as the judge they thought would be best qualified. I thank the committee for moving this matter along.
He is one of the few circuit judges who has been approved, and we certainly look forward to his approval by the full Senate.
Again, I recommend him without any question to be a circuit court judge in the Tenth Circuit.
I yield the floor.
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I repeat for emphasis that we have the President of Finland in our midst today. She will be here to meet the Senators as they come in to vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair welcomes our guests.
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