Patrick Leahy: “tonight the Senate votes on the nomination of Judge Carlos Bea of California to the ninth circuit. In just 9 months this…”

“tonight the Senate votes on the nomination of Judge Carlos Bea of California to the ninth circuit. In just 9 months this year, the Senate has confirmed 58 of President Bush's judicial nominees, which is more than Republicans allowed to be confirmed for President Clinton in 4 of the 6 years of Republican control. In fact, in just 9 months this year, the Republican led Senate has confirmed the same number of judicial nominees as they allowed for President Clinton in all 12 months of 1995. I recall well that the following annual session, 1996, Republicans allowed only 17 judicial nominees to be confirmed all year and not a single circuit court nominee was allowed a confirmation vote by the Senate. I am glad that, in moving the nomination of Judge Bea to the ninth circuit, the Republican leadership has chosen not to follow the delaying approach they took on the nominations of two other Latino circuit court nominees of President Bush, Judge Edward Prado to the fifth circuit and Judge Consuelo Callahan to the ninth circuit. The two Democratic home State Senators support the nomination of Judge Bea and have worked to expedite his consideration. I expect most if not all Democratic Senators will vote to confirm him, just as they did Judge Prado and Judge Callahan and the scores of Hispanic nominees we have worked so hard to confirm over the last 11 years.”