Orrin Hatch: “I feel compelled to take a moment to respond to remarks of my colleague from New York on the nomination of Mr. Wolski…”

“I feel compelled to take a moment to respond to remarks of my colleague from New York on the nomination of Mr. Wolski and the status of the Court of Federal Claims. My colleague from New York has stated that we should not fill the judgeships that Congress itself created. This eleventh-hour attack on the court of claims and Mr. Wolski is simply a thinly veiled effort to stall action on more of President Bush's judicial nominees. Let's give the President a break and be honest. I would like to respond to allegations that Mr. Wolski is not qualified to serve on the court of claims. These allegations are simply unfounded. I agree with my colleague that, in print, Mr. Wolski's statement in his 1999 National Journal profile raised questions about how he would view his role as a judge. But Mr. Wolski was indeed thoroughly questioned about this statement at his hearing. His response to those questions has convinced me that this statement should not be any bar whatsoever to his confirmation. Mr. Wolski testified at his hearing that he understands that the role of a judge is not political.”