On the recordJuly 23, 2012
As both Chairman and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee during the last several years, I have worked with Senate Republicans to consider judicial nominees well into presidential election years, I have made earnest efforts to make the confirmation process more transparent and fair, I have ensured that the President consults with home state Senators before submitting a nominee, and I have opened up the blue slip process to prevent abuses while continuing to respect it. In the last two presidential election years, we were able to bring the number of judicial vacancies down to the lowest levels in the past 20 years. In 2004 at end of President Bush's first term, vacancies were reduced to 28 not the 77 we have today. In 2008, in the last year of President Bush's second term, we again worked to fill vacancies and got them down to 34, less than half of what they are today. In 2004, 25 nominees were confirmed between June and the presidential election, and in 2008, 22 nominees were confirmed between June and the presidential election. In 2004, a Presidential election year, the Senate confirmed five circuit court nominees of a Republican President that had been reported by the Committee that year. This year we have confirmed only two circuit court nominees that have been reported by the Committee this year, and both were filibustered.…
