{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2AE96B07-795C-4773-9F20-5683B5D18DCA", "McConnell Introduces Kentuckian at Judicial Nomination Hearing", "2025-07-30", "2025", "2025-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today before members of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in support of S. Chad Meredith, of Lexington, President Trump\u2019s nominee to serve as a district judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky:\n\n\u201cMr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the Committee, today it is my distinct privilege to introduce my fellow Kentuckian, Chad Meredith.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump made an outstanding choice for his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Earlier this year, I proudly recommended Chad to the White House and as you will see from today\u2019s hearing, he has the intellect, skill, and experience to excel as a federal district court judge.\n\n\u201cOne of the Senate\u2019s most important constitutional responsibilities is to offer its advice and consent with respect to executive nominations, and I take very seriously the responsibility to carefully consider every nominee, especially for vacancies in my home state.\n\n\u201cChad is a bright lawyer with a stellar resume and a distinguished record of public service, but I would like to share with you how I first met him.\n\n\u201cChad interned with my office in 2003. The internship program provides college students with the opportunity to enhance their education as well as increase their knowledge of issues important to both the Commonwealth and our country. Interns are selected on the basis of strong scholastic and extracurricular achievements as well as an interest in the governmental process, and I\u2019ve been impressed to watch a former McIntern through the decades succeed in the legal field, public service, and now to be nominated to the federal bench.\n\n\u201cChad graduated summa cum laude from Washington and Lee University and summa cum laude from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Following his formal education, he sharpened his legal skills with two judicial clerkships with then-District Judge Amul Thapar on the Eastern District of Kentucky and Judge John Rogers on the Sixth Circuit.\n\n\u201cHe served as the first \u2013 that\u2019s right, the first \u2013 Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As the Solicitor General from 2019 to 2021, Chad oversaw all civil and criminal appellate litigation involving the Commonwealth. He earned a reputation for being fair-minded and professional, and for having a strong work ethic.\n\n\u201cFrom throughout the country, we have dozens of current and former state solicitors general expressing their strong support for Chad\u2019s nomination, saying, \u2018As Kentucky\u2019s first Solicitor General, Chad distinguished himself in diverse areas of federal and state law. Chad also exhibits the temperament necessary to serve as a District Judge\u2026As Chad\u2019s professional peers who have witnessed his work, we are confident that he possesses the qualities to serve with distinction as a District Judge.\u2019\n\n\u201cAdditionally, it\u2019s quite notable to hear from hundreds of lawyers calling Chad \u2018fair-minded\u2019. These attorneys come from many diverse backgrounds and include civil litigators, prosecutors, and criminal defense attorneys. They hold various political views and judicial philosophies and are supporting this nomination saying, \u2018we all agree that our legal system needs judges who carefully and honestly evaluate the arguments made by the parties and do what the law requires. We all believe that Chad will excel as a District Judge.\u2019\n\n\u201cAmid Chad\u2019s great professional success in private practice, even his colleagues know his value as an excellent lawyer and a careful thinker will serve our nation well, saying, \u2018As much as we don\u2019t want to lose him, our loss would be the public\u2019s gain.\u2019\n\n\u201cThis is all very resounding support and where that support runs deepest is with Chad\u2019s family. I\u2019d like to recognize his father, Kentucky State Senator Steve Meredith and his mother, Karen. They are both here and I know are very proud of Chad\u2026 and so is his wonderful wife, Rebekah, and we can bet that each of their children, Ben, Grace, Emma, and Daniel are beaming with pride for their dad.\n\n\u201cAlso joining today to support Chad\u2019s commitment to public service is Kentucky State Representative Samara Heavrin, as well as many more members of his family, his friends, and colleagues.\n\n\u201cMr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to come by and put in a good word. I am confident that Chad Meredith, who has demonstrated devotion to the rule of law and the Constitution, will serve the people of Kentucky and our country well on the federal bench. I appreciate this committee\u2019s consideration of his nomination, and I look forward to his confirmation.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:48:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2AE96B07-795C-4773-9F20-5683B5D18DCA"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.028187107294798, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}