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555 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202.224.6342
Fax: 202.224.1100
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Raleigh Office:
310 New Bern Avenue
Suite 122
Raleigh, NC 27601
Ph: 919.856.4630
Toll Free: 866.420.6083
Fax: 919.856.4053
Salisbury Office:
225 North Main Street
Suite 304
Salisbury, NC 28144
Ph: 704.633.5011
Toll Free: 866.420.6084
Fax: 704.633.2937
Western Office:
401 North Main Street
Suite 200
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Ph: 828.698.3747
Fax: 828.698.1267
Eastern Office:
306 South Evans Street
Greenville, NC 27835
Ph: 252.329.1093
Fax: 252.329.1097
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Floor Statements
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SENATE FLOOR VOTE ON ALLYSON DUNCAN AND LOUISE FLANAGAN
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July 17th, 2003 - Mr. President, I am so pleased that tonight we are confirming two of President Bush’s judicial nominees for my home state of North Carolina – Allyson Duncan to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Louise Flanagan to North Carolina’s Eastern District Court.
Our free society is based on the reasoned, dispassionate judgment of men and women in the judicial branch of our government who share a sense of honor and duty to our country and to our Constitution. Every indication is that these two talented and experienced individuals will provide just that to the State of North Carolina.
Judges interpret and apply the laws that govern our nation, including our fundamental rights and liberties protected in the Constitution.
However, on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, there is a North Carolina vacancy that is the longest on the entire federal bench – it dates back nearly a decade to July 31, 1994. In fact, North Carolina has had no representation on the 4th Circuit Court in nearly four years, though we are the largest state in the circuit. And two seats have stood empty on North Carolina’s Eastern District Court for 2½ and 5½ years, respectively.
I am pleased that the Senate has stepped up and fulfilled its duty for these two nominees, taking steps to fill these vacancies and to address this disparity for North Carolina. And this vote is historic in more ways than one. Allyson Duncan is the first woman from North Carolina to serve on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. She is also the first African-American woman to serve on the 4th Circuit Court. Ms. Duncan’s resume is most impressive, marked with numerous positions of significant responsibility in both the public and private sectors. Currently an attorney with the Raleigh law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton, Ms. Duncan is the president of the North Carolina Bar Association and an active member of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys. Prior to that, she was a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and a professor of law at North Carolina Central University.
Louise Flanagan is the first woman to serve as a District Court Judge for North Carolina’s Eastern District. Serving as a Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District since 1995, Louise Flanagan is consistently praised by her colleagues on the Eastern District Court for her integrity and fairness in the courtroom. Whether in previous positions with the law firms of Ward and Smith in Greenville, North Carolina or Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal in Washington, D.C., or at the Center for National Security Law, Ms. Flanagan’s accomplishments are numerous on behalf of the public and the institutions she has served. I am certain she will bring judicial temperance, integrity and character to the federal bench.
For these individuals, and for so many other qualified men and women, being nominated to serve on the federal bench by the President of the United States marks the pinnacle of a long and remarkable legal career. For those who are confirmed, it represents an opportunity to use their wisdom and legal training to uphold our Constitution and protect the rights and freedoms upon which our nation was founded.
As I campaigned for the United States Senate, I told the people of North Carolina that I believe each and every judicial nominee deserves a hearing and a vote by the full Senate. I believe in the capability, independence and prudence of the members of this institution. And, if a person has concerns about an issue, or a nominee, then I believe that he or she should make a persuasive case to the other members of this body in a forthright, open and honest debate. This process is established in our Constitution, and it is what our representative democracy is all about.
Mr. President, we are here today because the process is working for these two North Carolina nominees. I am confident that both of these qualified women will meet her duties with professionalism, impartiality and competence, and I hope that other well-qualified candidates who have been sent forth, such as Judge Terrence Boyle, might join them soon.
Thank you.
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| Elizabeth Dole |
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: radio clip | 
: television clip