Howard Bashman

A senator asked me during my confirmation hearing to be a federal judge: "What's the most important characteristic in a federal judge?" I said, "Rachmanus," and I explained that Rachmanus is a Yiddish word, and it means that but for the grace of God, I could be in that person's shoes who is appearing before me today. One misstep, one different parent, one different experience as a youngster and I could be sitting where that defendant is sitting today with my whole life on the line, in front of somebody, a judge I've never met and would never otherwise interact with. And I have to remember that every day. I've got two hundred cases on my docket, but each one of them is—for the person living through it—the most important thing by far going on in that person's life right now. What happened was that Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut, who is a Democrat, he asked for some time as a result of my answer. He said, "Let me tell you, I've been in this chamber for eight years, and I have never heard an answer like that. And I've never heard Yiddish spoken in this chamber." And I think he said something like, "I wasn't going to vote for you, or I haven't voted for many Trump appointees," or something like that. And he said, "But based on that answer, your parents should be so proud of you." And he said, "I'm going to vote for you." And there was like a collective gasp in the audience. This was right at the beginning of the first Trump administration, where most of the judges were getting through with, like, 51, 52, 55 votes. And so rachmanus has a special place in my heart.