Political Quotes

“today the Senate will vote on the confirmation of two highly qualified, consensus nominees to the Federal bench: Mary Elizabeth Phillips to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and Thomas Owen Rice to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. I thank the majority leader for pressing for these votes. These are nominees who were reported unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee last October, almost 5 months ago. They are both supported by their home State Senators, Democrats and Republicans, as are all of the judicial nominations of this President been who have been voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last month the majority leader had to file cloture petitions to end a 4-month and 2-day filibuster of the confirmation of Judge Adalberto Jordan of Florida and to end the 5 month filibuster of the nomination of Jesse Furman, a former counselor to Attorney General Mukasey. The majority leader should not have had to file cloture petitions for the Senate to vote on these outstanding judicial nominees. Senate Republicans have filibustered nine of President Obama's judicial nominations despite the fact that he has reached out to both Republican and Democratic home State Senators and nominated qualified, ideologically moderate men and women to fill vacancies on our Federal courts. From the start of President Obama's term, Republican Senators have applied a double standard to this President's nominees.…”