Political Quotes

“today we are going to vote on the nomination of Roseann Ketchmark. She has been nominated to be a Federal district judge in the Western District of Missouri. Now, this is only the sixth judicial nominee that we have voted on since the Senate Republicans took over the majority 8 months ago, so less than 1 a month. In fact, if we continue at this rate the Republican majority has established, the Senate this year will confirm the fewest number of judges in more than a half century--resulting in a judicial vacancy crisis. I am concerned because the Senate Republican leadership has refused to schedule timely confirmation votes for consensus judicial nominees which, I think, demonstrates an astounding neglect of the needs of our independent third branch, which borders on contempt. I am proud to be a lawyer. I have practiced both in the criminal and civil bars and served as a prosecutor. I have appeared before many different courts. I look at the men and women who have been on our courts, and I say: Here is an example of the way the judicial system should be--something every country in the world wants to emulate. But now, we are treating that third branch almost with contempt--with partisan contempt--and that is going to hurt the whole of the Federal judiciary. When Senate Democrats were in the majority, we worked hard to reduce the number of judicial vacancies to just 43--the lowest level since this President took office.…”