Rick Allen: “I commend Senator Nelson as one of the four or five Democrats who, on Miguel Estrada's nomination, thoroughly examined…”

“I commend Senator Nelson as one of the four or five Democrats who, on Miguel Estrada's nomination, thoroughly examined his qualifications and decided that he should be accorded a vote. But we now have a supermajority requirement for judicial nominations, a 60-vote margin. However, to look at a cloture motion as a vote up or down is not correct. The Constitution does not require a 60-vote margin. The Constitution requires advice and consent in a simple majority, one way or the other, with a simple, fair, and equitable vote. Miguel Estrada had 55 votes.”