Pete Sessions

I ask another question: They show a chart that says 168 to 4. Is that the 4 they were filibustering last week or is that the 4 who have been held hostage? What 4 are they talking about? There are well over 10 nominees who are being…

Isn't it true that the President has nominated some 200 judges and 160 or so have been--and the idea that the 98 percent of his nominations have been confirmed is certainly not accurate; is it?

Let me ask you with regard to Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, and Senator Leahy, the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, who argued so aggressively against filibusters just 2 or 3 years ago, has their position changed today? Are…

Addressing the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who has served so ably for so many years on these matters, I would like to follow up on that question that was just asked. During your tenure as chairman of the Judiciary…

I agree, if a hold is a filibuster, then there are a lot more Bush nominees now being filibustered than have been suggested. I think there are four being held by Senator Levin.

That is certainly a distinct and obvious difference. Both of these nominees were moved forward by the action of Trent Lott, the Republican leader, to move a Clinton nominee for an up-or-down vote. He got the up-or-down vote. Both those…

Did the Senator know that although the Senator from Alabama strongly opposed Berzon and Paez and voted against both those nominees, that there were holds on those nominees, and the Republican leader, Trent Lott, moved for cloture to move…

I met with Sergeant Larry Gill who grew up in Mobile, AL, went to Murphy High School where my daughter went. I knew his father, Lieutenant James Gill, in the Mobile police department, a great officer. Larry Gill had a severe injury to his…

I wish to respond to some comments that were just made. The distinguished assistant Democratic leader asserts Mr. Pryor has been rejected before. He has not been rejected before. He has not been given an up-or-down vote. He has not been…

I thank Senator Bond for his leadership on veterans issues throughout this Congress, as he always does. I have been over to Walter Reed Army Hospital on three different occasions. Families tell me they are being treated extremely well. The…

I believe Bill Pryor is the most principled, committed lawyer I have known in this country. I know he would be a magnificent Federal judge, and we will make a big mistake if this body does not see fit to confirm him. He needs an up-or-down…

There was an already-passed partial birth abortion ban in Alabama. The Supreme Court ruled that big chunks of that were not constitutional and could not be enforced, and Attorney General Pryor, even though he strongly thinks that abortion…

The pro-life groups in Alabama that supported Mr. Pryor criticized him for that letter, and the ACLU thanked him for it.

Well, very similar. What he actually did, I say to the Senator from Tennessee, is that as attorney general he has the authority to superintend all of the State district attorneys who enforce the law.

That is correct. I think he could have not appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court doesn't take a lot of these cases. He could have probably justified that and rationalized that, but if he believed that the existing Alabama…

I don't have the numbers for Alabama particularly, but I saw a USA Today poll that said 77 percent of the people in the United States believe it is all right to have the Ten Commandments in the building.

Absolutely. He said it was bad law, but more than that, he said it was morally wrong and not to be accepted any longer in our Constitution.

I think it is particularly telling, I say to the Senator, because this is not like the circumstances we had when the Democrats were in the majority and Senator Daschle called up the entire Agriculture bill, or the entire Energy bill, which…

This legislation would ban one simple, gruesome, unjustifiable procedure for destroying the life of a partially born child. I do not believe that threatens anybody's principles, but I will say one thing, not doing it threatens the decency…

I would add that during the 8 years President Clinton was President, 377 judges were confirmed. This Senate voted down only one. Most of the time the Republicans were in the majority and we did not vote down his nominees. Forty-one were…

Is the Senator aware, being an Alabama official myself and keeping up with these things, that when Attorney General Pryor, not required to do so but following what he believed was the proper procedure, directed the district attorneys who…

I have researched his record and background. I find that even though he does firmly believe that abortion is an immoral practice, that other than the matter I just raised about directing on partial-birth abortion not to enforce parts of…

I remember a conservative group demanded of Senator Hatch, with regard to Clinton nominees, that he sign a Hatch pledge. I ask the Senator how he handled outside conservative pressure groups at that time?

I wish to add my comments to the confirmation of Susan Braden. I happen to know her. She represented a business in the steel industry in Alabama that was in trouble. We tried to save it for the State. She worked so hard with the union…

I certainly agree, as a Federal prosecutor--and I prosecuted some physicians and other professionals in the medical business for bad behavior, but the odd thing about the way our tort system works, people think the doctor who gets sued is…