WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced Brian Lea, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, at a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Durbin.
It is my privilege to introduce Brian Charles Lea—President Trump’s nominee to be District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee.
Brian is a fourth-generation Memphian. But I’ll note he can’t quite claim to have been born and raised in Memphis—he was actually born in Montreal while his father was there for spring training.
That’s right, Brian’s father, the late Charlie Lea, was an ace pitcher for the Montreal Expos. Charlie got his start playing in Memphis for the minor leagues, and ended his career calling games for the Memphis Redbirds.
You can see Brian’s father’s statue in downtown Memphis, right in front of the stadium.
But let’s talk about Brian.
He earned his undergraduate degree at Union University with a nearly perfect GPA.
At the University of Georgia Law School, Brian somehow did even better. With A-pluses in fifteen classes, he finished at the very top with a 4.06 GPA.
After a clerkship with Judge Ed Carnes on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Brian went on to clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Brian then excelled in academia and in private practice. I’d like to focus on those experiences.
As a law professor, Brian co-taught a class alongside his old boss, Justice Thomas. That tells you something about Brian’s legal acumen.
Brian also distinguished himself as a partner at Jones Day, one of the nation’s finest firms—and, incidentally, one that represented me and my companies for years when I was in the private sector.
In a noteworthy case, Brian served as lead counsel for our colleague, Senator Graham, asserting our legislative privileges under the U.S. Constitution.
This year, Brian has served the President as Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice.
He bears enormous responsibility coordinating the litigation strategy of the United States of America in a vast number of high-stakes, complicated cases.
Not only are Brian’s credentials impressive, I have been impressed by Brian’s temperament. He has the patience, courtesy, humility, and thoughtfulness of a good trial judge.
I think you also will be impressed, as I have been, by Brian’s intellect—consider his insightful law review articles on standing and severability, one of which has been cited four times by the U.S. Supreme Court.
And most impressive is Brian’s appreciation for our constitutional system.
He recognizes that the Constitution should be interpreted according to its original meaning, and it must be followed—regardless of the ebbs and flows of public opinion, or the personal preferences of the one who dons the robe.
I am confident Brian will uphold the highest standards of our judiciary.
I urge you to quickly advance his nomination. Thank you.
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