“Mr. President, I rise out of a great sense of pride to exercise one of my responsibilities as a United States senator to speak on behalf of 'Tripp' Self, a judge from the Georgia courts, who is the nominee today to become a judge for the Middle District of Georgia for the state of Georgia. That vote will take place not too long from now, and I wanted to encourage every member of the Senate to cast their vote for Judge Self.

“He is an outstanding individual. In fact, he is the whole package. He’s got a wonderful wife and family, four great children, worked in the private sector for years – accomplished many things in the private sector, he went to the University of Georgia Law School and graduated cum laude. He graduated summa cum laude from the Military College of South Carolina, went on to have a distinguished private career, then went to go to the Superior Court of the state of Georgia in Macon.

“And, in that job on the Superior Court did something that I am very close to. He’s an entrepreneur because he started the veterans court for the Middle District of Georgia. The veterans court, as all of you know, is a court that is formed to help veterans who get astray from the law or have difficulties when they come home; either from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), from the struggles of battles that they’ve had, or whatever problem they may have had from representing us on the battlefield, and they trip and they fall and they need someone to help them get up. They need someone to make them do the right thing, but also to help them get brushed off, look forward to a career and help them get that start forward.

“We do that with teenagers called CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, where we turn people around who otherwise might go to jail - for young kids. The veterans court takes those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice – the possible risking of their life for you and for me and for everyone else – who might have fallen off just a little bit. We recapture them when you bring them back into the judicial system, we get them straightened out, and we move them forward so they have a better life and a rewarding career of their own – thanking them for all they’ve done as veterans. 

“So, as the chairman of the Veterans’ Committee of the United States Senate and one who recognizes the value of the court system for all the things it does to administer justice, I am particularly proud when we have a judge who comes in here who’s used entrepreneurial skills to deal with a problem our society has in the legal sense to see to it that our veterans are getting the help they need and our communities are getting the representation they need.

“I am also a football fan. I know calling football games are tough, just like making judicial decisions are tough. Tripp Self is an official in the Southern Conference, and two years ago was selected to do the 2017 National Championship game which is a testimony to his ability to call balls and strikes on the field. He’s a pretty good shot too. He is a turkey hunter and likes to turkey hunt and likes the outdoors.

“But, most importantly, he loves the United States of America. He respects and loves the law for what it does, that we are a nature of laws. And, he does everything in his capacity as an individual and as one on the bench to see to it that our country, our state – the state I represent, Georgia – is better because of his service.

“So, when each of you turn to vote in a few minutes for the confirmation on the three judges that have come before us today; when it comes to Judge Tripp Self of Georgia, cast a vote proudly for someone who is a legal entrepreneur for veterans, one who served with distinction in the state as a private sector practicing attorney and on the bench already, and one who will serve the United States of America very well in the years to come.

“I commend him and his family for being willing to take on the responsibility and thank the president of the United States for the wisdom to make this appointment.

“With that, Mr. President, I yield back the balance of my time.”

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