Monday, March 03, 2008
McConnell: ‘End Brinksmanship on Judicial Nominees’
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell followed Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Senator Arlen Specter to the Senate floor today with some powerful remarks of his own on the judicial confirmation crisis. A few highlights:
Some like to blame the President. But as the Ranking Member has noted, there are several circuit court nominees who have been pending in Committee for hundreds of days who have yet to receive a simple hearing, let alone a committee or floor vote.
In addition, many of these nominees satisfy most or all of the Chairman’s specific criteria for prompt consideration: they have strong-home state support, they fill judicial emergencies, and they have good or outstanding ABA ratings.
Leader McConnell concluded his comments by saying:
I hope the Committee is not slow-walking these nominees based on decade-old grievances, both real and imagined. That may be emotionally satisfying, but it will set a precedent that will serve us ill, regardless of who is in the White House and which party controls the Senate. I hope my Democratic colleagues resist the desire by some to drag us back into judicial confirmation brinksmanship and establish a precedent they will regret. I hope they will treat these nominees fairly before it is too late.
# posted by Michael Thielen @ 10:19 PM 
