Russ Feingold: “I will vote ``no'' on the nomination of D. Brooks Smith to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Let me take…”

“I will vote ``no'' on the nomination of D. Brooks Smith to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Let me take a few minutes to explain my decision. First, let me note that I did not reach this decision lightly. After this vote, we will have considered 64 judicial nominations of President Bush on the floor and I will have voted against only two. And this will be the first Court of Appeals nominee I have voted against on the floor. I voted against one other nominee in Committee, while I have voted in favor of 12 circuit court nominations. I also want again to commend the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the majority leader for the way that they have handled judicial nominations. The pressure is intense, and the criticism quite harsh. It is my view that a process that gives a nominee a hearing, and then a vote in the committee, and then a vote on the floor is not an unfair process; it is the way the Senate is supposed to work.”