WASHINGTON-Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, Rules, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, introduced President Trump's nominee to serve as District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Samuel Adkisson, before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Remarks as prepared for delivery:

"It is my privilege to introduce Samuel Adkisson-President Trump's nominee to be District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Hailing from the mountains near Chattanooga, he brings exceptional intellect, broad litigation experience, and the character we expect from our federal judiciary.

Sam is a distinguished graduate of my alma mater, Vanderbilt University. He was an All-American on the mock trial team, graduating summa cum laude. He then attended Yale Law School, where he served on two law journals and received the top prize for excellence in trial presentation. Although Yale doesn't utilize a standard grading system, 'Honors' marks in 21 out of 22 graded courses speaks volumes.

As an advocate, Sam has practiced law at elite firms. He's played key roles in high-stakes litigation, including billion-dollar bankruptcies and civil liberties cases. Importantly, in his current role as Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to the President, Sam has played a key role supervising the mountain of litigation involving the federal government the last two years.

Sam's experience isn't limited to above-the-fold cases. Consider his law review article, titled, 'System-Level Standards: Driverless Cars and the Future of Regulatory Design.' We need judges who, like Sam, can adeptly apply our law not only to yesterday's problems, but also to the problems of tomorrow.

Sam is bright, consistent, and demonstrates a steady hand. His impressive resume shows he's ready to be a district judge.

But let me put this in a more personal context. You're about to meet a Vanderbilt and Yale graduate who clerked for the Chief Justice and two outstanding circuit judges, and now is counsel to the President. You're expecting to meet someone who's learned, hard-working, and brilliant. Yes, Sam is all of those things-but much more besides. He is honest, quick to laugh, humble, and devout. He is devoted to his wife and their three children.

Public service has placed high demands on their family, and Sam's gratitude for their unwavering support is apparent. His pastor back home in Tennessee said that 'Sam is the epitome of a servant-hearted man.'

Sam understands the proper role of a judge: that the Constitution's original meaning is binding, and that the law must be applied as it is, not how he or anyone else would like it to be. I urge you to quickly advance his nomination. Thank you."

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