William Pryor: “I want to again remind this Senate and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle about one of the judicial nominees who…”

“I want to again remind this Senate and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle about one of the judicial nominees who happens to be from my State of Arkansas, Mr. Leon Holmes. Leon and I practiced law together in Little Rock for a few years in the late 1980s or early 1990s. He is a very fine person, a very fine man, and a very fine lawyer. I am proud to count him as a friend. Let me emphasis that Leon Holmes and I don't agree on every single issue. There is no doubt that there are some things he and I disagree on. But I am very respectful of his views because I know that he has arrived at those views through long consideration. He is a man of great integrity and great judgment. President Bush nominated him in January of this year to be a district judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Mr. Holmes is a practicing lawyer in Little Rock, and has been with a number of very prestigious law firms in his legal career. He is considered probably by most people one of the best lawyers in Arkansas, and certainly on certain types of cases would be considered among the best, if not the best. But at any rate, President Bush nominated him in January--if my memory is correct, January 25--and his nomination went to the Judiciary Committee. He came out of the Judiciary Committee on May 1. For over 6 months now, Mr. Holmes has been languishing on the Executive Calendar. I am troubled as to why he has been languishing like that.”