Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise this evening to talk about judicial nominations and, in my view, the state of play, where we are. I want to highlight some of the very real impacts these nominations have on Americans across the board. We have had a number of opportunities this year to come together and have agreement on some judicial nominations, but, frankly, this year-- the last several years--this issue has been the subject of conflict and sometimes rancor and division on the Senate floor and in the committee, the committee of jurisdiction, the Judiciary Committee. I have raised concerns about the willingness of Senate Republicans to dismantle longstanding Senate rules but also Senate norms, all in a rush to pack the bench with nominees who are often both ideological and also, in some cases--not in all but in some cases--both too ideological and often unqualified. Early this afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm Daniel Aaron Bress to a Ninth Circuit seat in California. I will talk about his nomination just by way of example, not by way of argument before a confirmation vote because that has passed. I think his nomination and confirmation are another example of the decline of the Senate's once-proud traditions relating to judicial nominations. He was opposed by both of his home State Senators. Both Senator Feinstein and Senator Harris did not return a blue slip for Daniel Aaron Bress.…”