John Cornyn: “4 years ago, the President nominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to serve on the United States Court of…”

“4 years ago, the President nominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Justice Owen is an exceptional jurist, a devoted public servant, and an extraordinary Texan. Yet after 4 years, she still awaits an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate. Four years today and we are still waiting for a vote. Although a bipartisan majority of the Senate stands ready to confirm this outstanding nominee, a partisan minority obstructs the process and refuses to allow that vote on her nomination. What is more, the partisan minority now insists, for the first time in history, that she must be supported by a supermajority of 60 Senators rather than the constitutional standard and the Senate tradition of majority vote. I know Justice Owen personally, having served with her on the Texas Supreme Court for 3 years. She is a distinguished jurist and public servant who has excelled at virtually everything she has set out to do. She was a top graduate of Baylor Law School at the remarkable age of 23 and scored the top score on the Texas bar exam. She entered the legal profession at a time when relatively few women did. After a distinguished record in private practice, she reached the pinnacle of the Texas bar, the Texas Supreme Court.…”