Chuck Schumer: “I know there has been debate intermittently as we have discussed other issues about the appointment of judges, and the…”

“I know there has been debate intermittently as we have discussed other issues about the appointment of judges, and the pace and the speed. Frankly, I sort of regret the debate in a certain sense because we have been working together very well as a body since September 11. The times call for bipartisanship. And this is an issue that is naturally a partisan issue. Some of the talk I have heard that the nomination of judges will be tied to bringing appropriations bills forward is not what we need at this time. But, nonetheless, it is proceeding. As a member of the Judiciary Committee who has sort of been quite surprised that some of my good friends on the other side of the aisle-- they are indeed friends--would make this an issue right now, I thought I ought to try to answer it in as objective way as I could because as someone who serves on the Judiciary Committee, I have seen the speed with which we approved judges during the first 6 months, and the speed with which we have approved judges since Senator Leahy became chairman of the committee. By any measure and by any objective standard, we have done a lot more since Pat Leahy became chairman than we did before that time. To say we are slowing down the selection of judges is nonsensical to anyone.”