Political Quotes

“I wish to share some thoughts about the filling of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals judgeships. I have been involved in that issue for well over a decade. We started looking at the case numbers when President Clinton was in office. I, along with Senator Chuck Grassley, both Republicans, blocked President Bush from filling a vacancy, because that court did not need another judge and they wanted to fill it. Let's be frank. Presidents want to fill the DC Circuit Court of Appeals because they think they can shift the balance there and be able to advance their agenda throughout the judicial process because a lot of key cases are filed there, and lobbyists and outside forces that care about judges want the Presidents to put their kind of people in those positions--maybe even their law partner or their friend or their political buddy on that court. But there are some great judges on the court. But I am Ranking Republican on the Budget Committee also. I serve on the Judiciary Committee and on the Budget Committee. We have no money in this country to fund a judgeship that is not needed. The last time we were able to move one of those judges to the Ninth Circuit where the position was needed. Today, it is clear that the caseload for the DC Circuit continues to fall. The number of cases per judge in the DC Circuit continues to decline. Senator Grassley has been a champion of this issue for years.…”