Orrin Hatch: “Judge Massiah-Jackson has made the right decision in withdrawing her nomination to the Federal bench, given the strong…”

“Judge Massiah-Jackson has made the right decision in withdrawing her nomination to the Federal bench, given the strong bipartisan opposition from law enforcement groups, her demonstrated leniency in sentencing convicted criminals, and the Judiciary Committee's concerns about her lack of candor throughout the nomination process. I believe withdrawing the nomination was the right thing for her to do. Despite the fact that the committee afforded two hearings for this nominee, and gave her ample opportunity to answer criticisms of her record, her responses were found to be unconvincing. After having heard the nominee's testimony and having considered the information provided to the committee by law enforcement officials about her treatment of police officers in court and her flawed judicial rulings, I would not have voted to confirm this nominee to a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench. The events surrounding Judge Massiah-Jackson's nomination demonstrate the need for the Senate to scrutinize the President's nominees carefully.”