Political Quotes

“I listened with interest to the colloquy between my two friends, the distinguished majority and minority leaders. It is almost--and I think the American people see it as almost--a kabuki dance because the fact is, the majority leader is right to seek votes on these district court nominees. He seeks to secure Senate votes for 17 highly qualified Federal district court nominations favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee. They are being blocked by Senate Republicans. I wish we could find a way to stop these damaging filibusters. They are totally unprecedented. It is greatly damaging the most respected court system in the world: our Federal court system. That means Americans are not getting the justice without delay they are entitled to. We must work together to ensure that the Federal courts have the judges they need to provide justice for all Americans without needless delay. Federal district court judges are the trial court judges who hear cases from litigants across the country and preside over Federal criminal trials, applying the law to facts and helping settle legal disputes. They handle the vast majority of the caseload of the Federal courts and are critical to making sure our Federal courts remain available to provide a fair hearing for all Americans.…”