Wayne Allard: “I rise to share an observation made by my colleague on this side of the aisle--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee…”

“I rise to share an observation made by my colleague on this side of the aisle--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch from Utah--that, like him, I believe there is a double standard. Last week, I came to the floor to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of Miguel Estrada, President Bush's nominee to the DC Circuit Court. Last week, I had my statement focused on the late Byron White, Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. During my comments, I pointed out that Justice White's judicial career began in a manner very similar to that of Miguel Estrada. Justice White was nominated by President John F. Kennedy when he was only 44 years old. He went on to serve his country for three decades, without having any judicial experience prior to joining the Supreme Court. And he did an exemplary job on the bench. Yet opponents of Miguel Estrada have pointed to his lack of judicial experience as the 'poison pill' to his nomination. This is an unacceptable double standard. This experience litmus test, as I call it, is nothing but an obstructionist argument that is intended to undermine the entire judicial nomination process. It is wreaking havoc with our constitutional duty to confirm the President's nominations. To say that Mr. Estrada, one of the best appellate court lawyers in the country, should not be confirmed because he lacks prior judicial experience is simply ridiculous.”