Political Quotes

“Madam President, I would like to speak in morning business, and I would like to respond to several things said by the Republican leader of the Senate. The first relates to Caitlin Halligan, who is a nominee to serve on the DC Circuit Court. The DC Circuit Court is the appellate court in the District of Columbia which, I would argue, next to the U.S. Supreme Court is one of our most important. The decisions of government are often sent to this court for review. At the current time, there are eight who are sitting on that court, and there are three vacancies. Of the eight who are on the court, five are Republican appointments. So it is clear that any effort now to bring a new nominee to the court may tip that political balance. I am afraid that has a lot more to do with the fate of Caitlin Halligan than anything that has been said on the Senate floor this morning. It is mystifying to me that Senate Republicans would filibuster her nomination. She is extraordinarily well qualified. She served for 7 years as the solicitor general of the State of New York and currently serves as the general counsel at the New York County district attorney's office. She has argued five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has served as counsel of record in dozens of other cases before that Court. The American Bar Association looked at the qualifications of Caitlin Halligan, and here is what they said: She is unanimously ``well- qualified'' to serve in this position. Ms.…”