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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm William Crain to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

During his time as a State court judge, Justice Crain has repeatedly demonstrated his partisan ideology. In 2019, while serving as a State appellate court judge, Justice Crain ran for election to the Louisiana Supreme Court. He identified himself as the ``most conservative'' candidate and emphasized his pro-life credentials. His campaign materials identified him as ``the conservative choice'' and further noted that the Louisiana Republican Party had endorsed him to ``protect Louisiana and keep a conservative lean on the state's highest court.''

Justice Crain has not only campaigned as a far-right activist. He has also ruled as one from the bench. Throughout his career as a State court judge, Justice Crain has imposed extremely harsh criminal sentences. In case after case, his rulings show that he prefers to pursue his own ``tough-on-crime'' political agenda, instead of fairness and justice.

As a State district court judge, he once imposed a life sentence and a 40-year sentence on two defendants who had stolen cameras from a Walmart store. As a State supreme court justice, he dissented from a majority opinion finding that a 60-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offense was excessive. Justice Crain argued that his colleagues ``deflect[ed] from the violence long associated with drug culture.'' And in 2022, while on the Louisiana Supreme Court, Justice Crain dissented from the court's majority opinion in June Medical Services v. Landry that prevented trigger statutes outlawing abortion from going into immediate effect.

This nominee's extreme record on the State bench provides us with a clear view of how he will rule if he is confirmed to the Federal bench.

I oppose his nomination. I urge my colleagues to join me.

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