08.16.18

Two More Impressive Nominees for the Fourth Circuit

‘The Senate is currently considering two well-qualified judicial nominees, both for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Yesterday afternoon, we voted to advance the nomination of Marvin Quattlebaum, a graduate of Rhodes College and the University of South Carolina who presently serves as District Judge for the District of South Carolina… And once we complete consideration of Judge Quattlebaum, we’ll turn to Mr. Jay Richardson.’

WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the president’s nominees for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Marvin Quattlebaum and Jay Richardson.

“The Senate is currently considering two well-qualified judicial nominees, both for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Yesterday afternoon, we voted to advance the nomination of Marvin Quattlebaum, a graduate of Rhodes College and the University of South Carolina who presently serves as District Judge for the District of South Carolina. And at noon, the Senate will vote to confirm his nomination.

“When he was nominated to the federal bench last year, Judge Quattlebaum received strong, bipartisan support from this Senate. The American Bar Association deemed him unanimously well-qualified -- their highest possible rating. And once we complete consideration of Judge Quattlebaum, we’ll turn to Mr. Jay Richardson. Mr. Richardson is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago School of Law. He has held clerkships with Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner and with the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

“Since 2009, he has served as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Current and former peers in the U.S. attorney’s office say he has a, quote, ‘well-earned reputation for excellent preparation, good judgment, fairness, and hard work.’ In that role, Mr. Richardson led the successful prosecution of the gunman who murdered nine innocent people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina back in 2015.

“Our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee have received a letter from Jennifer Pinckney, the wife of the late Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of the victims of that senseless violence. Mrs. Pinckney wrote to enthusiastically support Mr. Richardson’s confirmation. She said that he, quote, ‘will make a fine jurist.’ I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm both these impressive nominees.”

Related Issues: Judicial Nominations, Nominations