On the recordDecember 22, 2010
as the 111th Congress draws to a close, Senate Republicans have finally consented to consider half of the judicial nominations that have been pending on the Senate's Executive Calendar, some for nearly a year, awaiting a final Senate vote. We began with 38 judicial nominees to be considered and the Senate is being prevented from voting on 19. These are all superbly qualified nominees, most were reported with bipartisan support and many unanimously. Thirteen of these nominations on which we are not being allowed to vote are to fill judicial emergency vacancies, as determined by the nonpartisan Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Yet for month after month, many of these nominations have been stalled, just languishing before the Senate as Senate Republicans refused to consent to moving forward. Congress will adjourn for the year without completing its work on these nominations. Senate Republicans' strategy of delaying and blocking judicial nominations across the board has led to judicial vacancies nearly doubling over the last 2 years. Vacancies remain at nearly 100 with more than 40 judicial emergencies.
