I am pleased that we will be considering today the nominations of Theodore Olson to be Solicitor General and Larry Thompson to be the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

     After several weeks of delay, it is my expectation that these two nominees will be reported out of the Committee to the floor and their full confirmation by the whole Senate as soon as possible.

[Deputy Attorney General]
     The position of Deputy Attorney General is vital to the Department of Justice and the country. The Deputy Attorney General acts as the Justice Department’s chief operating officer, handling much of its day-to-day administration. And although the Deputy answers to the Attorney General, he has considerable discretion to make decisions on a variety of issues that affect Americans. The Deputy Attorney General must be a person of unquestioned competence and integrity who can exercise good judgment and provide objective legal advice to the Attorney General.

     Mr. Thompson meets all these requirements. He has an impeccable reputation as an honest and fair person with outstanding legal and intellectual ability. Mr. Thompson’s character and experience make him an outstanding choice for Deputy Attorney General.

     Larry Thompson has had an impressive and varied career as a lawyer, including working as an in-house corporate lawyer at Monsanto, as a partner at the prestigious law firm King and Spalding, as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, as an Independent Counsel, and as an adjunct professor of law at both Mercer University and the University of Georgia School of Law.

     Not only are Mr. Thompson’s qualifications for this position unsurpassed, but his vision of the Department of Justice is one we all should applaud. As he told us at his nomination hearing, "the Department . . . must continue to earn and maintain the trust and respect of all our citizens" and it "must operate in a non-partisan and impartial manner."

     I have no doubt that Larry Thompson will prove to be an outstanding Deputy Attorney General. And I have no doubt that, under the capable leadership of Deputy Attorney General Thompson and Attorney General Ashcroft, the Department of Justice will operate in a manner that befits its name.

[Solicitor General]
     As my colleagues are familiar, the Solicitor General represents the interests of the United States in litigation before the Supreme Court and the federal appellate courts. His role is a very interesting one that requires a fine balance between service to the administration’s policy goals and independent service to the cause of justice and the orderly development of the law.

     Mr. Olson’s performance at his nomination hearing only confirmed what we could already see from his impressive record – that he is one of the most qualified candidates nominated for the position of Solicitor General. He has argued before the Supreme Court 15 times, and is regarded as one of the best appellate lawyers in the country. The National Law Journal has twice named him as one of America’s 100 Most Influential Lawyers and has called him a "member of the inner circle of the Supreme Court bar." Mr. Olson has an extremely distinguished record in private practice and also as the head of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice. His knowledge and expertise extend over the whole range of constitutional and statutory issues. He has the temperament and experience to represent fairly the United States on the wide variety of matters that will face the administration. Indeed, he has received endorsements from a wide variety of legal scholars, including Professors Lawrence Tribe and Harold Koh. Prominent lawyers from both sides of the political aisle have attested to his fair and even-handed approach to the law.

     During his hearing, Mr. Olson answered questions from Committee members with incredible candor. He explained his personal background and affiliation with a wide variety of groups – revealing that he has a long career of involvement with the legal community. He has actively worked to bring about changes in the civil justice system and has been involved with a variety of legal organizations including the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society. Mr. Olson answered questions about the cases with which he was involved. And he discussed a variety of legal and political topics. In all of his answers he showed himself to be forthright and reasoned. His performance at the hearing augmented his already impressive record.

     I am confident that Mr. Olson will be an excellent Solicitor General.

     I hope that we can move quickly to confirm all of our Department of Justice nominees without further undue delay, so that they can begin the important work of protecting the American People.