Political Quotes

“I would like to speak for just a few minutes here. No. 1, the judge we just confirmed, I think to the 11th Judicial Circuit, Ms. Abudu, is an example of the system being broken. This nominee, whom I voted against in committee, is way beyond what I think the market should be bearing. This is, in my view, a partisan's dream. It is OK to be a litigant in causes I don't agree with. It is OK to represent organizations that I differ with. I don't hold a client against a lawyer, but I do hold positions against the lawyer when it comes to cause-driven litigation. This nominee, at every turn, has taken the left fork in the road, to the point of being in the ditch. As a lawyer, she sued a Florida community that was trying to protect children from sexual predators by having requirements of notice but also being away from schools certain distances, and she sued the community basically claiming that was unfair to the sexual abuser. It is moments like this that should be a wake-up call for this body. Her record as an advocate is not just representing liberal causes, but the rhetoric used and the arguments made convinced me in committee that this is an activist on steroids. I have tried to work with my Democratic colleagues, voting for circuit and district court judges, understanding that Democrats would pick someone I would not choose. That is the way the system works. But, in this case, it was a partisan vote.…”