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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Anthony Johnstone to a Montana seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Johnstone is an accomplished appellate litigator, academic, and public servant and was unanimously rated ``well qualified'' by the ABA. He received degrees from Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School before clerking for Judge Sidney Thomas, whom he has been nominated to succeed.

Mr. Johnstone began his career in private practice as a commercial litigator in New York before returning to Montana to pursue a career in both public service and academia. From 2004 to 2011, Mr. Johnstone served in the Montana Department of Justice. In recognition of his legal acumen, he was appointed State solicitor--Montana's top appellate lawyer--in 2008. In this role, he handled 29 cases on appeal, including 19 as sole or chief counsel of record.

Since 2007, Johnstone has also served as a professor at the University of Montana Blewett School of Law. He teaches courses on constitutional law, legislation, the regulatory process, and other topics. In addition to teaching, he is also a prolific writer and has authored pieces on federalism, the law of democracy, and issues of importance to rural communities--including those located in the Ninth Circuit's jurisdiction.

Mr. Johnstone has earned the trust of leaders throughout the Montana legal community. With his experience in both legal practice and legal theory, along with his unwavering commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law, Mr. Johnstone will be an exceptional judge on the Ninth Circuit.

I strongly support his nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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