Political Quotes

“When we confirmed President Bush's nominee to the 11th seat in 2005, Thomas Griffith, his confirmation resulted in there being 121 pending cases per judge. We did not hear a peep out of the other side that that was too low. Yet today there are 161 cases per judge. With Halligan's confirmation, it would go down to 143--far more than the 121 when all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted for Mr. Griffith, the Republican nominee of President Bush. So there is no reason to argue about caseload. The fact is, if we cannot confirm Halligan, this will not go down as a vote about caseload, this will be recorded as a new bar for nominees. In conclusion, when Caitlin Halligan drove with her father from her home in Kansas City to Harvard or when she was a standout student at Georgetown Law School or when she started her work for the New York Attorney General's Office, I am sure she could not have imagined that someday she would be the topic of a debate in the U.S. Senate about whether she was too radical or lacked the candor to be a judge. I hope that when we vote and the debate is over, my colleagues recognize the truth here: Halligan is a sterling example of a public servant who has worked hard, earned every honor she has received, and fits squarely within the mainstream of judicial thought. She deserves an up-or-down vote today, and I will be proud to cast my vote for cloture on Caitlin Halligan's nomination. I thank the Chair. Cloture Motion The PRESIDING OFFICER.…”