The Honorable Orrin Hatch

May 21, 2003

It is our pleasure this morning to consider the nomination of Hew Pate Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division at the United States Department of Justice.

I would like to start by welcoming Mr. Pate to the Committee and congratulating him for being nominated by President Bush. His impressive background and past government service make me confident that he will be a great asset to the Department of Justice, this Committee and the American people.

Over the last decade, the position of the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust has grown in importance. The rapid transformation of our country's economy, particularly in new technologies and international markets, has raised public attention and policy focus on a variety of important antitrust issues. The Assistant Attorney General plays a crucial role in formulating competition policy and enforcing existing antitrust laws to make sure that our free-market economy operates efficiently and serves the public.

Mr. Pate comes before the Committee with an impressive track record of public service in the Antitrust Division. In June 2001, he was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General responsible for Regulatory Matters, and served ably under then Assistant Attorney General Charles James. In November 2002, after Mr. James' departure, Mr. Pate was appointed as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. During that time, he demonstrated his talent and ability to lead the Antitrust Division.

Prior to joining the Justice Department in 2001, Mr. Pate practiced at the prestigious law firm of Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia, where he had a distinguished record in representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of antitrust and business law cases. After graduating first in his class at the University of Virginia Law School in 1987, Mr. Pate went on to clerk for Fourth Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. During his tenure at the firm of Hunton & Williams, Mr. Pate found time to teach at the University of Richmond and University of Virginia Law Schools despite the demands of his busy and sophisticated practice.

With such an impressive background, both in private practice and in antitrust enforcement, I am confident that Mr. Pate will be an excellent Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. I am hopeful that this Committee and the Senate as a whole will move quickly to confirm him.

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