Political Quotes

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I will object. The reason we should not confirm new judges to the Court of Federal Claims has little to do with these nominees and more to do with the court itself. It doesn't need new judges. We should keep in mind that the number of active judges authorized for the Court of Federal Claims by statute, 16, isn't a minimum number, it is a maximum. It is our duty as Senators to determine if the court needs that full contingent and to balance judicial needs in light of our obligation to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. What the caseload data shows is that the court does not need all 16 judges--far from it. As we can see from this chart, since 2007, the court's caseload has dropped dramatically and consistently every year. Last year, the court had 2,528 cases on its docket. That is 51 percent fewer than in 2011 and 68 percent fewer than in 2007, when the court had 7,185 cases on its docket. Today, a full-time judge on the court is responsible for an average caseload of 180 cases. That is far less than the average caseload of 324 cases in 2011 and the average of 488 cases in 2007. In light of the dramatic drop in caseloads at the court, it is hard to justify spending more money to confirm additional judges. The court currently also uses a contingent of six senior judges who have retired from active status but can continue to hear cases.…”