For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 11, 2003

President Urges Immediate Senate Action on Judicial Nomination
Remarks by the President in Meeting on Welfare Reform with Bipartisan Members of the House
The Cabinet Room

	President's Remarks listen

      Policy in Focus: Judicial Nominations
     

4:38 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: It's my pleasure to welcome members of both political parties from the House of Representatives to discuss how we can continue to make progress in welfare reform. The welfare law of 1996 made a significant difference in the lives of a lot of our fellow citizens. Our job now is to build on that progress. And I want to thank the members for being here. I look forward to a good and fruitful discussion.

I nominated a good man named Miguel Estrada for the Circuit Court here in Washington, D.C. Miguel Estrada is highly qualified, extremely intelligent. He has the votes necessary to be confirmed. Yet a handful of Democrats in the Senate are playing politics with his nomination. And it's shameful politics. This man -- this man is highly qualified, and I expect him to be nominated. And I expect him to get fairer treatment than he's getting from those who are really against the spirit of the United States Senate. And so I call upon fair play in the Senate, for the sake of -- for the sake of a good, sound judiciary.

Thank you.

END 4:40 P.M. EST