Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Richard J. Durbin

Democrat on Nomination of Benjamin M. Flowers 2026-07-23

275 words · 15 sentences · 18 clauses

Statement grade

Average 92 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 81%Positioning 15%The ask 4%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Claims · 18 wordsyesterday, the Senate voted to confirm Benjamin Flowers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.¹ Positioning · 36 wordsMr. Flowers’ record in both government service and private practice reflects his MAGA extremist agenda. He has given us no reason to think he will stop pursuing this agenda once he is on the Federal bench.Positioning Claims · 205 wordsDuring his time as Ohio solicitor general, Mr. Flowers defended Ohio’s severe restrictions on a woman’s right to choose.² Kowtowing to corporate interests, he defended a cap on damages for a victim of child sex abuse.³ Mr. Flowers is an election denier. In November 2020, he authored a Supreme Court amicus brief asking the Court to reverse the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision that allowed for the counting of absentee ballots received after election day.⁴ Mr. Flowers is currently a partner at a rightwing law firm that he claims can ``grow up with the conservative legal movement’’ following President Trump’s election.⁵ He has argued against birthright citizenship, demeaned LGBTQ Americans, ⁶and claimed that efforts to lower the costs of prescription drugs are unconstitutional.⁷ Mr. Flowers’s public commentary reveals his lack of judicial temperament. He has been a frequent speaker for the Federalist Society, ⁸and his commentary has been extreme even for conservative legal circles. Mr. Flowers has questioned the need for the Trump administration to follow court orders in public remarks and in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.⁹ He has even criticized the landmark bipartisan First Step Act, calling it ``terrible policy,’’ implausibly claiming it is unconstitutional, ¹⁰and arguing that Congress should repeal it.¹¹ Positioning · 5 wordsI opposed Mr. Flowers’ nomination.Positioning The ask · 11 wordsAnd I urged my colleagues to join me in doing so.

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 83

3 of 3 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Mr. Flowers’ record in both government service and private practice reflects his MAGA extremist agenda.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “He has given us no reason to think he will stop pursuing this agenda once he is on the Federal bench.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “I opposed Mr. Flowers’ nomination.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 3 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 11

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm Benjamin Flowers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit”On July 22, 2026, the Senate voted to confirm Benjamin Flowers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.search
2“During his time as Ohio solicitor general, Mr. Flowers defended Ohio’s severe restrictions on a woman’s right to choose”As Ohio solicitor general, Benjamin Flowers defended Ohio’s restrictions on abortion in court.search
3“he defended a cap on damages for a victim of child sex abuse”Benjamin Flowers defended, in litigation, a cap on damages for a victim of child sex abuse.search
4“In November 2020, he authored a Supreme Court amicus brief asking the Court to reverse the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision that allowed for the counting of absentee ballots received after election day”In November 2020, Benjamin Flowers authored a Supreme Court amicus brief asking the Court to reverse the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision allowing counting of absentee ballots received after election day.search
5“Mr. Flowers is currently a partner at a rightwing law firm that he claims can ``grow up with the conservative legal movement’’ following President Trump’s election”Benjamin Flowers is currently a partner at a law firm, and he has said the firm can “grow up with the conservative legal movement” following President Trump’s election.search
6“He has argued against birthright citizenship”Benjamin Flowers has argued against birthright citizenship.search
7“claimed that efforts to lower the costs of prescription drugs are unconstitutional”Benjamin Flowers has claimed that efforts to lower the costs of prescription drugs are unconstitutional.search
8“He has been a frequent speaker for the Federalist Society”Benjamin Flowers has been a frequent speaker at Federalist Society events.search
9“Mr. Flowers has questioned the need for the Trump administration to follow court orders”Benjamin Flowers has questioned, in public remarks and in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the need for the Trump administration to follow court orders.search
10“criticized the landmark bipartisan First Step Act, calling it ``terrible policy,’’”Benjamin Flowers criticized the First Step Act, calling it “terrible policy” and claiming it is unconstitutional.search
11“arguing that Congress should repeal it”Benjamin Flowers argued that Congress should repeal the First Step Act.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15