Dianne Feinstein: “I appreciate the Senator's forbearance. He is a true gentleman. Out of respect for him and for the institution, I will…”

“I appreciate the Senator's forbearance. He is a true gentleman. Out of respect for him and for the institution, I will conclude my remarks. During the reorganization of the Senate in 2000, Senators Daschle and Leahy worked to make the nominations process more fair and public. This refining forced Senators opposed to a nomination to be held accountable for their positions. They could not hide behind a cloak of secrecy. This step also wiped out many of the procedural hurdles that have been used to defeat nominations. So many of the tools used by Republicans in the past, and referred to as a way to draw distinctions with a public cloture vote are no longer available. This historical record is important, yet it is too often lost in our debates. I also believe it is useful to examine the current state of judicial nominations, and what has actually occurred in this body during President Bush's tenure: 208 judges confirmed out of 218; 95 percent of President Bush's judges have been confirmed; the Senate has confirmed 35 circuit court nominees; recently, the Judiciary Committee reported out 2 District Court and 1 Circuit Court nominees; today, there are only 4 judicial nominations on the Senate calendar waiting for a vote; and there are only 45 total vacancies, both district and circuit courts, and 29 do not have nominations submitted. What do these numbers mean? There are more judges today sitting on the federal bench than in any previous presidency.…”