William H. Frist: “4 years ago today President Bush nominated Miguel Estrada to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. His…”

“4 years ago today President Bush nominated Miguel Estrada to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination should have gone smoothly. The American Bar Association pronounced him highly qualified, a rating my colleagues on the other side of the aisle once called the gold standard. He clerked for a Supreme Court Justice and worked in both the Bush and Clinton administrations. The Honduran immigrant then won top honors at Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Miguel Estrada epitomized the American dream. But Miguel Estrada's nomination never received an up-or-down vote. A minority of Senators used the filibuster to stop the Senate from exercising its constitutional duty to advise and consent. Senators supporting his nomination made seven attempts to bring his nomination to a vote. Each time the effort failed. Finally, after enduring 2 years of obstruction, Miguel Estrada withdrew his name from consideration. Unfortunately, today marks the fourth anniversary of another candidate whose nomination is, likewise, being blocked. Priscilla Owen, who has served on the Texas Supreme Court for 10 years, has earned the praise of both Republicans and Democrats. Judge Owen won reelection to the Texas bench with 84 percent of the vote and the endorsement of every major newspaper in the State. Former justice Raul Gonzalez, a Democrat, says: I found her to be apolitical, extremely bright, diligent in her work, and of the highest integrity.…”