Patrick Leahy: “Then lastly, Mr. President--I will probably speak on this again this afternoon. If we go out, it means there will not be…”

“Then lastly, Mr. President--I will probably speak on this again this afternoon. If we go out, it means there will not be a chance to confirm a number of judges who are pending, who have been pending for a considerable period of time; one in particular, who has been voted out of our committee twice, once last year and again this year, Margaret Morrow, one of the most qualified people, man or woman, ever to be nominated to be a district court judge. We also have what I think is the shocking situation of Bill Lann Lee, who has been subjected to some of the most scurrilous charges--charges, unfortunately, repeated even by Members of the Senate. The charges have been refuted, but need to be refuted in a hearing. We have asked for a further hearing on Bill Lann Lee just so those charges can be refuted. We have been told that we cannot have that hearing. I renew the request. We should have it. We talk about civil rights in this country. The civil rights of this country are determined by having strong laws and strong people to enforce those laws. I do not believe in the better natures of our souls as Americans that all of us would support the civil rights of all others simply in a vacuum. Many of us would; others do need the requirement of a law to do that. I would like to think that I am a person who would never break into an unlocked, unguarded warehouse in the middle of the night to steal things.…”