Political Quotes

“in the last few weeks, we have wasted precious floor time and energy to overcome filibusters on several judicial nominations. The majority leader was forced to file cloture on judicial nominees in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Puerto Rico, and Tennessee. This was the case, even though every single one of those nominations had the support of home State Senators--whether Democrat or Republican. In fact, seven of the eight judges confirmed in the last 2 weeks after filibusters were defeated were confirmed overwhelmingly with 90 or more votes. So why were we forced to overcome unnecessary procedural obstacles even though these judges were non-controversial and were filling longstanding vacancies in their districts? It is because Senate Republicans continue to try to slow down all confirmations in the Senate. Today, we must again vote to end a filibuster on a judicial nomination. Carolyn McHugh, nominated to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, is a distinguished jurist who has served on the Utah Court of Appeals for nearly a decade. She has the support of both her home State Republican senators--Senator Hatch and Senator Lee. Her nomination could and should have been confirmed last year.…”