Senate Confirms Bennett to US Court of Appeals

Mark Bennett. PC: www.starnlaw.com

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the Senate confirmation of former Hawai‘i Attorney General Mark Bennett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Bennett was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of 72-27.

“I am very pleased to see Mark Bennett confirmed with a decisive bipartisan vote in the Senate. This is the way the process is supposed to work. I’ve known Mark for many years, going back to when I served in the Hawai‘i State Legislature and he served as the state attorney general. Even though we were on different sides of the aisle, Mark was never difficult to work with, because he never had a partisan agenda. Instead, he approached every issue by focusing on the substance and how we could make things better for Hawai‘i. Because Mark made the effort to understand where others were coming from, we were able to find common ground. He will make an outstanding judge.”

Sen. Mazie K. Hirono voted to confirm Bennett.

“Mark is recognized as one of the best qualified lawyers in the State of Hawai‘i,” said Sen. Hirono. “He has served as a federal prosecutor, as our state’s attorney general and in private practice. I have every confidence that Mark will put his skills and experience to good use on the bench as a fair and impartial judge, beholden to nothing but the law and the Constitution.”

Sen. Hirono introduced Bennett during his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee and as a member of the committee, voted in favor of sending his nomination to be considered by the full Senate.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa issued the following statement:

“Mark Bennett serves with respect and compassion and is recognized and respected as a legal scholar and attorney committed to equal justice and upholding the Constitution. He will be a valuable addition to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Throughout Mark’s career as a civil and criminal attorney, Hawaii Attorney General, Assistant United States Attorney and professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law, he has excelled at every role and demonstrated a commitment to fairness and serving with aloha. Congratulations, Mark.”