Russ Feingold: “I rise to speak today in strong support of the nomination of Richard Paez to be a judge on the Court of Appeals for the…”

“I rise to speak today in strong support of the nomination of Richard Paez to be a judge on the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. By finally moving on the nominations of Judge Paez and Ms. Marsha Berzon this week, the Senate will take long-delayed steps towards returning the 9th Circuit dockets to a manageable level. Action on these nominees is long overdue. I believe their nominations should be confirmed, and I hope, after all this delay, there will be strong bipartisan votes in favor of them. Four years, 1 month, and 11 days. Just over forty-nine months. One thousand, four hundred and ninety-nine days. That's right. 1499 days, two short of 1500. That is how long Judge Richard Paez has been waiting for the Senate to act on his nomination. In the same amount of time, a young adult could enter and complete a full college degree program. Let me repeat that. Judge Paez has waited for the Senate to grant him the simple grace of voting his nomination up or down for longer than it takes a young American to complete an entire college education. A President or Governor could be inaugurated, serve his or her entire term and be re-inaugurated during that same four year time period. While I'm sure Judge Paez is a patient man, possessed of the proper judicial temperament that makes him an excellent candidate to sit on the 9th Circuit, I know that even his patience must have long-ago worn thin waiting for the Senate to act on his nomination.”