Mr. President --- Thank you, Mr. President. It is with great pleasure that I join Senator Inouye in support of the nomination of Mr. J. Michael Seabright to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. The Hawaii State Bar Association has found Mr. Seabright to be highly qualified for the position of U.S. District Court Judge in Hawaii. This is of significant importance to me as I value the opinion of Hawaii's legal community in evaluating those nominated to serve as judges.

Mr. Seabright has practiced law in the State of Hawaii for over 20 years in a number of capacities, including both private practice and public service. Mr. Seabright has been employed by the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Hawaii for the past 15 years, and he has headed the White Collar and Organized Crime Section since 2002.

I am pleased that this position, after being vacant for so many years, will now be filled by an individual as qualified as J. Michael Seabright. For the past few years, I have heard from jurists and a number of attorneys in Hawaii about the need to fill this judicial vacancy. I am encouraged to see that with the consideration of this nominee the Senate will continue its tradition of fulfilling its advise and consent role under the Constitution.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of Mr. Seabright's nomination.