Trent Lott: “I know we are faced with a time problem, but since a separate extraneous issue was raised, I must respond to this…”

“I know we are faced with a time problem, but since a separate extraneous issue was raised, I must respond to this question of judicial nominations. First of all, when I go to my State or around the country, the last thing I hear people clamoring for is more lifetime-tenured Federal judges. There is no clamor out there in the real world for more Federal judges. But, so the record will be clear, the number of Clinton appointments to the Federal judiciary as of that date is 252. The total number of Clinton nominees confirmed by the 105th Congress--that is last year and the first 3 months of this year--48, 9 for the court of appeals, 37 for district courts, 2 for the USIT; 36 in the first session and 12 in the second session. There are currently 81 vacancies in this very large Federal judiciary, and of that 81, 41 of them have not had nominees. It is pretty hard for us to consider nominees if we do not have them even presented to the Congress. I have been hearing this now for months about, 'Oh, why don't you move more?' Maybe the administration ought to consider moving a little faster.”