Jon S. Corzine: “I think you have spoken brilliantly tonight, about the idea of trying to divide us over something that is basically a…”

“I think you have spoken brilliantly tonight, about the idea of trying to divide us over something that is basically a disingenuous issue to start with. You talk about the 98 percent. Over the last 24 hours, we have seen this 168 to 4 over and over. No one could speak more eloquently about the facts; 98 percent is a hell of a number. Ninety-five percent of judicial positions in this country are filled. When President Clinton left office and President Bush took office, it was at 75 percent. The reason was because those 63 that the Senator from Louisiana was talking about never got a hearing, never got a chance to get a vote in committee, never got reported to the Senate to get voted on. Sixty-three judges were blocked. It is a different technique under the rules of committees as opposed to here on the floor, no committees, no votes, no reports--63 qualified judges, at least in the opinion of the then-President, never had a chance to fill that void, and 25 percent of seats went unfilled. Now 95 percent are filled. When there is cooperation--I can tell you there has been cooperation in New Jersey.”