see means that we spend as much time with each other meeting with each other as we do our be a few ways whether that is a good thing or a dead thing is not the point the point is that it is necessary it's a necessary part for us of what we do i beaded family and so it is truly a wonderful day when we can gather together to celebrate the addition of a new judicial college just not happen very often and when it does happen it is fitting that the occasion be celebrated with events such you can play with my treadmill anytime and that's and i know how much he appreciates justice kennedy taking time out from what must be an incredibly busy week preparing for what has come to be commonly known as the first monday in october justice kennedy is really known for his dedication to the education circuit court of georgia alabama and they used to tell the story on the eleventh circuit court of appeal sitting with three judges the attorney was arguing that the trial judge had made a mistake in bringing the summary judgment and not letting the case go to trial toward the end of the argument the attorney said and it may interest accord to know that this was a new district judge she then only on the bench for three months and one of the three judg will be surprising to you judge as much as you know the federal judiciary how much you've learned the after day year after political branches of the public discourse not better not worse that different different in part but it's speaks over time and it is  tragedies in my country one is that the rule of law is slipping away the other is that everyone seems to know what and few seem to care we're very fortunate in pennsylvania because doesn't happen in my house and i hope in yours but today we celebrate so much this is a celebration of course of our judiciary a celebration of our great system of government checks and balances and but it's also i think the celebration of the life of one person one lawyer who's now a judge and in this case her family and all of her friends so we celebrate we celebrate you know in a personal way better but also in a much broader fashion it's certainly a celebration of scholarship and service when you consider the great work that cheryl has done as a student as a teacher in the great record th used in a record in public service as a prosecutor second i believe is a celebration of academic excellence and advocacy and i was just talking to your family a moment ago your feelings are try not to compliment you when they resize on the graph you know our record they were very complimentary and i think that that academic excellence of course is so important to the work that you're doing and the work you did as an advocate and will continue to line from san agustin where without justice what are kingdoms but great bands of robbers and i know of your great commitment to justice and then finally i think we hear readers celebrate so much is in our hearts celebration of gratitude i'm sure the gratitude that the judge feels in her family but i think the gratitude we all feel for your service your willingness to put yourself forward as a judge and to make decisions which are difficult  make decisions which will advance those ideals of justice kennedy so eloquently online today and finally it's a celebration of the blessings of liberty and all the comfort that so judge we're honored to court justice kennedy chief judge mckee and i knowledge of our has been set quite high so i'll try to keep in mind the advice that my staff routinely gives me when they tell me that remember just because you can't give a good speech doesn't mean you can't give a to extend my congratulations to you as well i'd like to point out that this is in a way from my perspective it's a culmination of a bipartisan process that's actually worked in washington pretty much federal courts but this is the first time for me to have had an opportunity to play a role however modest on filling a vacancy on the u s court of appeals and so that makes judge process confirmation especially significant to me and in part it's because this court play such a crucial role in our democratic process fact is that courts of appeals are so often in fact typically their last resort they have the final word on the disputes that are brought before them typically if you take twenty thirteen over fifty six thousand cases were filed in the federal courts of eales supreme court decided one hundred sixty five cases it's less than half of one percent and these cases cover the entire range of issues that are litigated in federal courts with criminal convictions havey is petitions bankruptcy appeals contract disputes the full range agency rules and regulations so it's a very very weighty it's challenging and it's extremely important certainly to the litigants but really to our entire country so article two of the constitution gives the senate and port responsibility and that is to provide the president with advice and to the extent we believe it's appropriate consent with respect to nominees so i i tend to look for three things when considering a nominee to the federal court the first is whether the candidate has the intellect and the legal experience qualifications to serve the second is the person's character and the third is whether i can be confident that the person will be fair that you'll put aside any personal preferences or views and apply the law as it's written and certainly to treat all persons who come before her equally show crowds easily satisfied as all three criteria she's got impeccable intellectual and legal qualifications terrific experience including the clerkship for justice kennedy that was alluded to earlier ample practice of law both as an assistant u s attorney as well as in private practice and her character is outstanding you know when throughout this process we speak with people who know the candidates very very well and everybody has spoken amazingly highly of the character integrity and trustworthiness of cheryl kraus so also i should point out demonstrated a willingness a commitment really to giving back to her committee committee community sorry through volunteer work that she has done for many years and her husband as we can see it's just to serve our country and in the military for that we're grateful so from my perspective given all these criteria is very impressive credentials i can say without reservation that i'm very proud to be fully supportive and do see as they can and i'm grateful to be here and behalf of my colleagues in the senate and the people of the commonwealth that i represent i want to send my congratulations is i can and do say today with total conviction and no hesitation whatsoever i judge krauss will be a high credit to this bench and i retire judicial system justice has been done and appointing her to this court and justice will be done every day she serves such as her intellect work ethic and unwavering moral compass and sense of fairness before i go on to make it a johnny stool so you can see me you know i'm i don't think i could do nearly as good a job as he certainly did but my sure all story begins with a decision to hire her as an assistant united states attorney in one thousand nine hundred seventy when i served as united states attorney for that manhattan district the southern district of new york and from that very early point in her distinguished career sheryl really made her mark she was a standout star both in her own cases and in helping her colleagues in general crimes the first unit a young assistant united states attorney serves cheryl gets cross was finished she had uncovered and prosecuted a sixty million dollar fraud involving dozens of the days in chinese takeout restaurants the largest food stamps fraud in new york city history as reported on the front page of the new york times this crouse was also a little bit like the general crimes units lucy of peanuts fame not only sheryl i'm like her heroine cartoon counterpart not charging five cents for psychiatric counseling quality memos on every conceivable issue in general crimes assistant might face suppression and sentencing guidelines every question of evidence that might possibly arise the cost and line of assisting in a state's attorney's at her door was a testament to both the quality of cheryl's advice and her work product but also her always generous hopeful attitude toward others and she became more senior in the office  the first shows her incredible commitment to the task at hand in one trial during her summation the hand constructed exhibit board showing the jury lost one of its nails and unfortunately ms summation c what had happened fast forward the defendant was convicted and then and only then did cheryl make her way to a doctor who removed the nail and put her on a full dose of heavy duty antibiotics that's dedication compass and how much people trust her as many of you know the life of a prosecutor is filled with cooperators who carry their own criminal baggage but are often essential to successfully prosecuting serious crimes a critical but delicate that every good prosecutor has to master is the ending the trust to cooperate while at the same time skeptically regarding in testing literally everything they say for its truthfulness and reliability part of that process thing they cooperate or for anything to cooperate or may have done wrong in order to disclose that information to the defense cheryl was superb in all aspects of this difficult responsibility her cooperators trusted her and told her everything in one fraud case sure had to cooperate hers as it happened a husband and wife team both went to jail after cooperating insurance case as the defendant who was convicted after trial the husband was later needed in another trial and had to meet with cheryl in the u s attorney's office as he was being prepared for his upcoming testimony after about six months in prison this cooperate or warmly greeted cheryl and said how much he loved he says he was reading losing weight she's trying him then convinced him to tell his wife about this new relationship and proceeded to bring about the disclosure of the affair and the upcoming trial as is required by the law resulting in lots of problems for the trial moral of his story just cross always always does the right thing which are left the u s attorney's office in their private practice or successes and strong character continue she was it just brought incredible skill integrity and professionalism to everything she has ever gotten and she always well that is the person in the talent that she is her eyes burn equally bright in the pursuit of a defendant victimizing elderly victims in a phony telemarketing scheme as they do in which she is defending her clients against what she sees as government overreach or fighting hard to ensure that children with disabilities have a quality education you know that high road and i always ur children are very proud of her so my and so are so many others thank you brad and think ellen johnny as well when they come back but for letting your wife and mother continue her service as a judge on the score where she will do us all very very proud congratulations her mother and father her brother aaron and her sister beth and numerous handsome uncles one of whom is a hundred and three and here today mrs and nephews this is a great day for her friends and colleagues in college law school united states attorney's office private practice where i've had the great fortune of being cheryl's partner decker for the last eight years and it is really a great day for this court since cheryl's intelligence diligence articulate two concerns i have for i was born and raised in new york went to columbia law school marking the site and circuit and have lived in practice in new york for thirty years nonetheless i was optimistic of this course  crowd would not hold my parochial background against me going to move especially since i had the good fortune of marrying a woman from philadelphia second i knew from prior experience that my role was to law the new judge making light of her human frailties friends in the u s attorney's office the only thing they could tell me i already knew cheryl is a bit obsessive like the time she prosecuted a drug dealer name which is now cheryl had a textbook investigation hundreds of hours of wiretaps and videotaped drug deals you formants an undercover boss and numerous cooperating witnesses as a result of this overwhelming evidence of fourteen of the fifteen defendants pleaded guilty with decided however to plead not guilty in a bench trial before a very smart very experienced very law and order type judge of sheryl's overwhelming evidence went in perfectly it was clear what the lawyer attempted to rise to the occasion but her submission could not overcome cheryl's mountain of evidence or her eloquence or the skeptical comments of the judge much to cheryl's consternation however her fellow prosecutor ro and there the matter would have rested except the defense counsel had the temerity to demand findings of fact of law and the judge asked the prosecutors to provide her with an appropriate summaries quickly as find funny things to say about cheryl and she's obsessive factious i call about her partner's attacker nothing funny to her then i called the practice group director in philadelphia and asked her to go around to the associates who work with cheryl tireless very client focused has an incredible work ethic intimidatingly brilliance and inspiring manner as good of a mentor as she is a lawyer srong sense of civil and social responsibility committed to justice fear diligent and thorough very good teacher at that point i gave up my funny boy now of course the thrill i mentioned earlier was exciting to talk about cheryl a wonderful lawyer and wonderful human being but right after sheryl asked me to speak here today she federal judge admonished me not to praise the sheryl but to talk about the last year topic of public service asked the corps to do we know that much like marc anthony and julius caesar i've come here not to praise your own but rather to bear witness to the importance of public service as example vied by her remarkable career she was a course the tackler student at the university of pennsylvania and stanford law school following law school cheryl carver judge kozinski and afterwards justice kennedy whose presence here today says all you need to know about cheryl's work is a long hard journal next returned to stanford year she then changed coasts to serve the public as an assistant united states attorney in the united states attorney's office for the southern district of new york and among the talents and egos that abound there cheryl was exceptional without a trace of arrogance or self righteousness notably she excelled not only because of her ample skills but because she was fair and understood the justice is more than winning cases of course she won more than her fair share of difficult complex fraud and public corruption pro bono client cheryl fought for justice and demanded that the system be a prosecutors or government or anyone else because they're turned square corners and do the right thing in her twelve years in private practice cheryl somehow found the time to represent dozens of pro bono clients in case after case as well as to lecture at head law school and numerous our association and to publish more than a dozen articles and one caption quote partnering with law students to serve the community as deckert we have a long and deep tradition of pro bono but cheryl so the standard for us all she not only talk the talk she walk the walk one of her most notable pro bono crimes was impeding the school district of philadelphia  class action for families with autistic children cheryl of the team of lawyers after three years of litigation and rulings by judge davis that such families have important rights regarding the education of their autistic children cheryl and her team  right her normas intellectual capacity her work ethic and a sense of fairness to be a great job whether you were republican or democrat or female rich or poor white or a person of color we were proud of having a person fair minded smart careful thoughtful churned experience i was evident to me or very very first meeting however i know that things can get as we say sometimes a bit funky during the confirmation process and i was actually relying upon that i think in this rather than with my view it was surprised to see that but against all enemies foreign and domestic that i take this obligation freely without and mental reservation or purpose of evasi you please the coroner honored guests and fellow citizens with your permission i would like to express a simple wish just as all of our children cheryl  here today to share this commemoration for all the love and support in this room and sit in that overflow room from the folks we need today possible for the participation in extremely gracious words  lawyer a little over a year ago in which he asked if i'd be interested in a vacancy on the third circuit it took my breath away i had thought since even before law school that being a federal judge was the best job i could possibly imagine a way to be part of the constitution and hundreds of precepts at the same time to serve this great country to combine the academic discourse that i enjoy with the practical application very creative to contribute meaningfully to the evolution of the law i find have reached a point where i see things more and more as part of the continuum and hurting the values knowledge and tradition from generation to generation yes all right  with us about a week ago we said a final farewell at our at arlington national cemetery judge joseph weiss who many of my colleagues knew well i did not have a chance to meet him but was like today to remember him for his contributions to the court and his service to the country and i will have the distinct honor in the years ahead of working on the chambers that was chief judge any records he was is revered on this court and in the legal community and floor o and there's another passing in the torch that i'd like to celebrate today a couple of weeks ago just flew over hosted a lunch with several of the women judges third circuit and interspersed with many hearty last their stories drove home with you norma strikes these men and his need for all of us through their strength of character and their dedication to the law to their families and to women in profession these were familiar stories in a sense my mother was one of the first women and then isn't and  navigating unchartered territory in practicing medicine and raising three shall we say very active kids you did good by as judge perry put it they knew they were carrying the next generation on their shoulder your friends in the years ahead just any then you would marry so much for coming today and for the honor of ministering the oath is no surprise to those of us who have the privilege of working closely with you how many of your former not just a great judge of better really great boss supportive respectful gracious and generous the holidays that we spend your home with you mary your children are among our most cherished memories from or your co mary jo when i had occasion to speak with younger lawyers over the years about professional paths i always point to yours as a model to include both public service and legal practice of the highest caliber as u s attorney for the southern district of new york for me in many here today noble is traditions of the justice department and the snobbery district engender a fierce loyalty respect admiration and the many on the other side of that beat a healthy dose of fear without ever sw of legal practice you taught many young lawyers by example how one can marry unparalleled excellence in practice of law with personal responsibilities and legal can we will community and the next generation of lawyers i learned so much from you  proud of you brad and so blessed to have you as a partner in life thank you to the one seventy seven in the new jersey or national guard for all you do to keep the torture flame for all the friendship and support you're given to eat bread in our family over the years and for sharing this day and my mom dad erin that our enormous quirky and wonderful family you get full credit for bringing us to this moment mom thank you being upon your and bottomless well of love and support my grandmother still is no longer with us to share in this day she died a couple of years ago just short of a hundred but i know that she is here in spirit and the values that she passed down and that brad and i are imparting torun children johnny and of course the stele are alive and well these abusing children and their cousins will pay it forward to johnny you made that clear today and beautiful pledge of allegiance and i'm so you and still will be turning to you in a couple of months and were expecting great things i couldn't talk about the passing out of a tradition without mentioning another family member who you've heard ted is one hundred three and still going strong and not missing a family event my colleagues will be interested to know that he just retired last month sunsetting your isn't this company this is my evil my friends