Today, Senator Orrin Hatch announced his retirement at the end of this term. 

RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen said: “Orrin Hatch has long has been a great friend of the RNLA since our founding in 1985.  It was Senator Hatch who first said: ‘If you are a lawyer and you are a Republican, you should be a member of the Republican National Lawyers Association.’  Thank you Senator Hatch.” 

RNLA President Elliot Berke stated: “We thank Senator Hatch for his tremendous service to our nation. He's a Senator's senator and a man of great character. We wish him all good wishes for the future.”  

RNLA Board Member Frank Salinger said: "In his 41 years of Senate service, Orrin Hatch championed the rule of law and legal issues ranging from confirming conservative federal judges to intellectual property. He is the longtime friend of RNLA and always made himself available for our events and to meet our members. Having represented Utah companies for many years, I know first hand that—even when he worked on national issues— he never forgot his constituents throughout his home state’s 29 counties. Orrin went to Washington, DC but he never forgot Utah." 

At The Republican Lawyer blog, we frequently cited Senator Hatch. 

“In a recent judicial confirmation hearing, a nominee was asked, explicitly, “do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?” That same nominee was told that, upon review of her record, “the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you.” Statements like that can be taken only as the imposition of some kind of religious test for holding office. Nothing could be more repugnant to our values of religious freedom and liberty.”  12/4/2017: Senator Hatch on Religious Liberty

The majority should know the judicial filibuster facts because, after all, they pioneered the use of filibusters to defeat judicial nominees who would otherwise be confirmed. Why are they engaging in filibuster fraud? One possibility is that the majority wants to cover up the fact that President Obama has consistently lagged behind his predecessors in making judicial nominations.  The Senate, after all, cannot confirm nominations that do not exist.  6/19/2013: Hatch Calls Out Senate Democrats for Filibuster Fraud

[On the Scalia Supreme Court vacancy] Democrats have no credibility in lecturing Republicans on how to conduct the current confirmation process. Their recent actions only validate the rationale for waiting. From personal attacks on Republican committee chairmen to coordinated disruptions by professional activists, liberal pressure tactics belie any commitment to keeping politics out of the confirmation process.  Considering a nominee in the midst of a toxic presidential election would be irresponsible. Doing so would only further inject a circus atmosphere into an already politicized confirmation process. Conducting a thoughtful and substantive deliberation after the election is in the best interests of the Senate, the judiciary and the country.  3/28/2016: Sen. Hatch: Let Voter's Decide the Court's Future

Thank you, Senator Hatch.