Richard Burr: “I rise today to urge our leadership and the rest of my colleagues in the Senate to preserve the significance of our…”

“I rise today to urge our leadership and the rest of my colleagues in the Senate to preserve the significance of our responsibility, enumerated in the Constitution, and to work together to address the judicial crisis that threatens to severely damage our system. As Members of the Senate, we each bring our own unique background and experience to this institution. And our progress as a body often requires us to make difficult decisions as individuals. While our individual positions on various issues will certainly differ, we must stand together to repair the judicial confirmation process in this body. Several judicial vacancies have been lingering in our courts for years, causing many jurisdictions, including one in my home State of North Carolina, to be declared ``judicial emergencies.'' It is our responsibility as Senators to respond to these judicial emergencies with action and determination. It is inexcusable that we allow judicial vacancies to linger for 6 years or, in some cases, longer. Such is the case for the people of my State in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The North Carolina Eastern District post is the longest district court vacancy in the Nation--a seat vacant since 1997. In 1999, the administrative office of the courts declared the district a ``judicial emergency'' and it has been categorized this way for the last 6 years. In North Carolina we face challenges on the appellate level as well.…”