Political Quotes

“Madam President, I come to the floor tonight to discuss the troubling state of judicial nominations before the Senate. This week, we are voting on, among others, two district court nominees-- Campbell Barker and Andrew Brasher--who have, in my judgment, very concerning records. Just several weeks ago, Senate Republicans changed the Senate rules so that they can continue to put on the Federal bench highly ideological and sometimes unqualified jurists who have the corporate stamp of approval but I don't think the mainstream stamp of approval. Under new Senate rules, these nominees will receive only 2 hours of postcloture consideration time on the Senate floor, but if confirmed, they would sit on the Federal bench for life. So 2 hours postcloture for a lifetime appointment. I will start with Mr. Campbell Barker, who has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He has a troubling record from his time as deputy solicitor general of the State of Texas. In 2016, he defended Texas's voter ID law, which the Fifth Circuit said violated the Voting Rights Act because it prevented minority voters from exercising their right to vote. Second, Mr. Barker submitted amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court attacking the Affordable Care Act. In those briefs, he argued that the individual mandate is unconstitutional--a position rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.…”