FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2007
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Senate Confirms Reed O’Connor to Serve as Federal Judge
Hutchison, Cornyn say he is exceptionally well-qualified to serve as a U.S. District Judge for Northern District of Texas
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate on Friday unanimously confirmed Reed O’Connor to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division). U.S. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn said O’Connor is exceptionally well-qualified and is an outstanding choice to serve on the federal bench.
Cornyn and Hutchison recommended that President Bush nominate O’Connor earlier this year. O’Connor will fill the vacancy created by Northern District Chief Judge A. Joe Fish, who is taking senior status. The American Bar Association awarded O’Connor a unanimous “well-qualified” rating.
“Reed O’Connor has an impressive record of public service and trial experience that will provide the bench with a very well-rounded and diverse legal background,” Sen. Hutchison said. “He will serve our court well.”
“Reed’s exceptional qualifications, experience and commitment to service make him ideally suited for this position,” Sen. Cornyn said. “I’ve seen first-hand his strength of character, professional integrity and commitment to fairness and the rule of law. Without question, Reed O’Connor will make an outstanding federal judge. He has the right temperament, intellect and experience.”
O’Connor, a native Texan and veteran Assistant United States Attorney, is a well-respected prosecutor who tried a substantial number of criminal cases during eight years of service at the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. He is highly regarded within the Northern District bar by federal judges, criminal defense attorneys and fellow prosecutors.
O’Connor graduated second in his class, summa cum laude, from South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1989), and was a member of the South Texas Law Review. Prior to his prosecutorial career, he was a civil litigator for five years at a major Texas law firm.
In 2003, the Department of Justice detailed Mr. O’Connor, an expert in federal criminal law, to serve as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. He advised then-Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and drafted important legislation on terrorism, alien smuggling, cyber-crime, child pornography, sentencing reform, violent crime and drug policy. The Department of Justice detailed Mr. O’Connor again in 2005 to serve as Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship, where he currently remains on detail. He advises on federal criminal law, national security law, immigration policy, FOIA and international human rights law.
“We are pleased to recommend an individual of Reed O’Connor’s caliber to serve in the federal judicial system,” Senators Hutchison and Cornyn said. “We are confident that he will serve our nation with honor and we are proud to recommend him to the President.”
--END--
|
