McConnell on the Confirmation of Judge Southwick
October 24, 2007
‘I urge my colleagues to think hard about the ramifications of their vote, and to vote for cloture on the Southwick nomination’
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will deliver the following remarks on the Senate floor this morning at approximately 10:50 a.m. regarding the cloture vote on the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick:
“Mr. President, in 1992, a Mississippi lawyer named Leslie Southwick wanted to serve his country in the armed forces. At forty-two, he was too old to do so. But service to others is a duty that Leslie Southwick had always taken seriously, whether in the Justice Department, or on the state bench, or with Habitat for Humanity, or in doing charity work for inner-city communities.
“So in 1992, forty-two year old Leslie Southwick sought an age-waiver to join the U.S. Army Reserves. The country had the good sense and good fortune to grant his request.
“Leslie Southwick continued to serve in the armed forces after he was elected to the state court of appeals in 1994. He conscientiously performed his military and judicial duties, even using his ‘vacation time’ from the court to satisfy the required service period in the Mississippi National Guard.
“In 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Southwick volunteered for a line combat unit, the 155th Separate Armor Brigade. His commanding officer, Major General Harold A. Cross, notes that his decision ‘was a courageous move; as it was widely known at the time that the 155th was nearly certain to mobilize for overseas duty in the near future.’ Colleagues like Attorney Brian Montague were not surprised: ‘Despite love of wife and children,’ Leslie Southwick volunteered for a line combat unit over a safer one ‘because of a commitment to service to country above self-interest.’
“In August of 2004, Leslie Southwick’s unit mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His commanding officer states that he distinguished himself at forward operating bases near Najaf. Another officer, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Gene Hortman, Jr., described his service in Iraq:
Service in a combat zone is stressful and challenging, often times bringing out the best or worst in a person. Leslie Southwick endured mortar and rocket attacks, travel through areas plagued with IEDs, extremes in temperature, harsh living conditions . . . –the typical stuff of Iraq. He shouldered a heavy load of regular JAG Officer duties, which he performed excellently. He also took on the task of handling the claims of the numerous Iraqi civilians who had been injured or had property losses due to accidents involving the U.S. military . . . This involved long days of interviewing Iraqi civilian claimants, many of whom were children, widows and elderly people to determine whether the U.S. Military could pay their claims. Leslie always listened to these Iraqi claimants patiently and treated them with the utmost respect and kindness. He did this not just out of a sense of duty but because he is a genuinely good and caring person. His attitude left a very positive impression on all those that Leslie came in contact with, especially, the Iraqi civilians he helped. This in turn helped ease tensions in our unit’s area of operations . . . and ultimately, saved American lives.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hortman concludes that Leslie Southwick ‘has the right stuff’ for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: ‘profound intelligence, good judgment, broad experience, and an unblemished reputation.’ He adds, ‘I know him and can say these things without reservation. Anyone who says otherwise simply does not know him.’ Stuart Taylor writes in the National Journal that Leslie Southwick ‘wears a distinctive badge of courageous service to his country,’ and that he ‘is a professionally well-qualified and personally admirable’ nominee to the Fifth Circuit.
“Judge Southwick does not seek thanks or notoriety or charity for his military and other civic service. He asks to be judged fairly--to be judged on the facts, to be judged on his record. It is the same standard he has applied to others as a judge, a military officer, and a teacher.
“It is a standard for which he is well known and admired. By that standard, he is superbly fit to continue serving his country, this time on the Fifth Circuit. Senators Cochran and Lott, his home-state senators, know this. They strongly support him."
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will deliver the following remarks on the Senate floor this morning at approximately 10:50 a.m. regarding the cloture vote on the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick:
“Mr. President, in 1992, a Mississippi lawyer named Leslie Southwick wanted to serve his country in the armed forces. At forty-two, he was too old to do so. But service to others is a duty that Leslie Southwick had always taken seriously, whether in the Justice Department, or on the state bench, or with Habitat for Humanity, or in doing charity work for inner-city communities.
“So in 1992, forty-two year old Leslie Southwick sought an age-waiver to join the U.S. Army Reserves. The country had the good sense and good fortune to grant his request.
“Leslie Southwick continued to serve in the armed forces after he was elected to the state court of appeals in 1994. He conscientiously performed his military and judicial duties, even using his ‘vacation time’ from the court to satisfy the required service period in the Mississippi National Guard.
“In 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Southwick volunteered for a line combat unit, the 155th Separate Armor Brigade. His commanding officer, Major General Harold A. Cross, notes that his decision ‘was a courageous move; as it was widely known at the time that the 155th was nearly certain to mobilize for overseas duty in the near future.’ Colleagues like Attorney Brian Montague were not surprised: ‘Despite love of wife and children,’ Leslie Southwick volunteered for a line combat unit over a safer one ‘because of a commitment to service to country above self-interest.’
“In August of 2004, Leslie Southwick’s unit mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His commanding officer states that he distinguished himself at forward operating bases near Najaf. Another officer, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Gene Hortman, Jr., described his service in Iraq:
Service in a combat zone is stressful and challenging, often times bringing out the best or worst in a person. Leslie Southwick endured mortar and rocket attacks, travel through areas plagued with IEDs, extremes in temperature, harsh living conditions . . . –the typical stuff of Iraq. He shouldered a heavy load of regular JAG Officer duties, which he performed excellently. He also took on the task of handling the claims of the numerous Iraqi civilians who had been injured or had property losses due to accidents involving the U.S. military . . . This involved long days of interviewing Iraqi civilian claimants, many of whom were children, widows and elderly people to determine whether the U.S. Military could pay their claims. Leslie always listened to these Iraqi claimants patiently and treated them with the utmost respect and kindness. He did this not just out of a sense of duty but because he is a genuinely good and caring person. His attitude left a very positive impression on all those that Leslie came in contact with, especially, the Iraqi civilians he helped. This in turn helped ease tensions in our unit’s area of operations . . . and ultimately, saved American lives.
“Lieutenant Colonel Hortman concludes that Leslie Southwick ‘has the right stuff’ for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals: ‘profound intelligence, good judgment, broad experience, and an unblemished reputation.’ He adds, ‘I know him and can say these things without reservation. Anyone who says otherwise simply does not know him.’ Stuart Taylor writes in the National Journal that Leslie Southwick ‘wears a distinctive badge of courageous service to his country,’ and that he ‘is a professionally well-qualified and personally admirable’ nominee to the Fifth Circuit.
“Judge Southwick does not seek thanks or notoriety or charity for his military and other civic service. He asks to be judged fairly--to be judged on the facts, to be judged on his record. It is the same standard he has applied to others as a judge, a military officer, and a teacher.
“It is a standard for which he is well known and admired. By that standard, he is superbly fit to continue serving his country, this time on the Fifth Circuit. Senators Cochran and Lott, his home-state senators, know this. They strongly support him."
