John Cornyn: “in the aftermath of the battle over the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling, I am sure I am not alone in hearing…”

“in the aftermath of the battle over the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling, I am sure I am not alone in hearing from my constituents they are hoping that Democrats and Republicans can now work together on some of the most important and chronic problems that challenge our country. But instead of doing that, my friends across the aisle have taken this opportunity to engage in what can only be described as a power grab that will result in even more polarization and partisan acrimony here in Washington. What I am talking about specifically is the effort of the President and Democratic leadership to pack the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. For those who may not follow the Federal court system, America has 13 different Federal appellate courts, but the DC court stands out as the most powerful in the country. Some have called it the second most important court in the Nation because it has jurisdiction over a variety of regulatory and constitutional matters. Whether it relates to Dodd-Frank in financial services, to ObamaCare and its implementation, or to national security matters, all of those types of cases get heard in the DC Circuit Court. No other appellate court in the Nation wields such vast influence over hot-button issues, ranging, as I said, from health care to the Environmental Protection Agency and its activities, which I know are as important to the Presiding Officer as they are to me, as well as gun rights and the war on terrorism.…”