Patrick Leahy: “the Republican leadership's actions this week were an attempt to create the impression that Senate Democrats are…”

“the Republican leadership's actions this week were an attempt to create the impression that Senate Democrats are stalling judicial nominations. Rather than work with us to confirm the five consensus judicial nominations that have been before the Senate and available for action all week, the Republican leadership has chosen to schedule cloture vote after cloture vote on the most divisive, controversial and extreme of this President's judicial nominees. Senators have spoken to the contentious nominations Republicans have tried to force through the Senate confirmation process this week. This is a striking difference from the days in which more than 60 of President Clinton's judicial nominees were stalled and defeated by anonymous holds and secret objections. Just as I made Judiciary Committee blue slips and the process by which the committee consults with home-state Senators public when I chaired the committee in 2001, Democratic Senators have not opposed nominees without coming before the Senate and making known their concerns. During the 17 months a Democratic Senate majority reviewed this President's judicial nominees we were able to confirm 100 judges. This year, we have cooperated in the confirmation of 45 additional judges. The total confirmations already number 145.”