Vicente Gonzalez: “it is a great honor again to appear before the House on this most important and weighty topic. The nomination of Mr.…”

“it is a great honor again to appear before the House on this most important and weighty topic. The nomination of Mr. Estrada means a great deal to all Americans, but especially to the minority communities. The President should be commended and applauded for seeking diversity in all departments, agencies and branches of government. To the extent that he actually accomplishes that is the true question that lies before us in the Miguel Estrada nomination. I want to start off with, I guess, my understanding of how Federal judges gain their positions, which in many ways are the most powerful positions held by any public official. To start with, it is a lifetime appointment. There is no election, there is no review. That individual, once appointed, will remain there for an indefinite period of time. Constitutionally, the President of the United States does have the authority, the duty and the responsibility to nominate individuals to the Federal bench, all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States.”