Orrin Hatch: “Let me continue then. This body is in danger of blowing up. I just read a letter Senator Schumer sent to the President…”

“Let me continue then. This body is in danger of blowing up. I just read a letter Senator Schumer sent to the President yesterday suggesting that we should take this authority from the President to nominate the judges and set up judicial nominating commissions in every State. There is no President in his right mind who would consider doing that. There is no reason a President should. To make a long story short, the Senate is broken. The process is broken. Senator Schumer admits it. He writes: Dear Mr. President: Six months ago you described the judicial nomination confirmation process as 'broken' and declared we have a 'duty to repair it.' I could not agree with you more. The other side of this body understands this process is broken because they are filibustering now two of the President's nominees for the first time in history. Both of these nominees, Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owen, have unanimously well qualified ratings from the American Bar Association, which during the Clinton years the Democrats were saying was the gold standard. Once they have a qualified rating, which is a passable rating, they should be confirmed. These two not only have qualified, they have well qualified, and unanimously. Only a select few have achieved that rating.”