Patrick Leahy: “we have heard a lot about Mr. Estrada and whether he has or has not answered questions. Obviously, I believe he has not.…”

“we have heard a lot about Mr. Estrada and whether he has or has not answered questions. Obviously, I believe he has not. The President of the United States again today asked the Senate to do something that no President of either party should ask for. He asked the Senate to vote without having straightforward answers for a nominee for a lifetime position as a Federal judge on one of the most significant courts of this country. That is not something that would help the Federal judiciary, but instead would set a dangerous precedent that would lessen the independence of the Federal judiciary. When a nominee does not answer basic questions, the Senate clearly has a constitutional responsibility to ask for the answers. Mr. Estrada will not answer basic questions about his judicial philosophy, yet he has asked the Senate to confirm him to a lifetime job to the second highest court in the land where that judicial philosophy will determine, in many instances, which way that court will rule. That court affects every single American in countless ways through its decisions on everything from clean air and water to the rights of working men and women, from voting rights to all other civil rights law that protect minorities. Becoming a Federal judge for a lifetime is a privilege, not a right. No nominee should be rewarded for stonewalling the Senate and the American people.”