Political Quotes

“at 5:30 we will be voting on the nomination of Paul Watford for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. I would like to say a few words about him at this time. But before I do, I think Members might want to consider the fact that the Ninth Circuit is by far the busiest U.S. circuit in the Nation. It has over 1,400 appeals pending per three-judge panel. That is the most of any circuit. It is over two times the average of other circuits combined. The Judicial Conference of the United States has declared each Ninth Circuit vacancy a ``judicial emergency.'' So today we are, in fact, filling one of the seats which is a judicial emergency. The candidate is Paul Watford, a Ninth Circuit nominee with stellar credentials and support across the political spectrum. I am delighted that cloture was vitiated so the vote will be directly on his nomination, and it is anticipated that he will be confirmed without controversy. Mr. Watford earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California Berkeley in 1989 and his law degree from UCLA in 1994 where he was editor of the UCLA Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. After finishing law school, Mr. Watford clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski, an appointee of President Reagan's. He then clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court.…”