Political Quotes

“as the Senate recesses for Memorial Day, I wish the Republican leadership had worked with us to clear the nominations that have been pending on the calendar for far too long. There is now a backlog of 26 judicial nominees awaiting final Senate action. Nineteen of the 26 were reported by the Judiciary Committee without a single negative vote from any Republican or any Democratic Senator on the committee. There is no reason, nor is there any excuse, for the Senate not having promptly considered and confirmed those judicial nominees. Two other nominations received only one or as few as four negative votes. That means that six of the seven Republicans voted in favor of Judge Wynn to the Fourth Circuit, and nearly half the Republicans on the committee supported Jane Stranch's nomination to the Fourth Circuit, as does Senator Alexander. Still Republicans refuse to enter into time agreements on those nominations, the four others or, for that matter, any of the 26 judicial nominations they are stalling from consideration and confirmation. The Senate is well behind the pace I set for President Bush's judicial nominees in 2001 and 2002. By this date in President Bush's Presidency, the Senate had confirmed 57 of his judicial nominees. Despite the fact that President Obama began sending us judicial nominations 2 months earlier than President Bush had, the Senate has only confirmed 25 of his Federal circuit and district court nominees to date.”