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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 7, 2004
Fact Sheet: Judicial Nominees
Every judicial nominee should receive an up-or-down vote in the full Senate, no matter who is President or which party controls the Senate. It is time to move past the partisan politics of the past, and do what is right for the American legal system and the American people. - President George W. Bush, August 1, 2003
Today, the President met with his North Carolina and Michigan judicial nominees whose votes have been unfairly delayed in the Senate.
All nine of the President's North Carolina and Michigan nominees are outstanding judicial candidates who deserve prompt consideration by the Senate.
However, some Democratic Senators have been blocking their confirmations.
The extraordinary delays in the Senate are harming the administration of justice -- especially in North Carolina and Michigan.
The President is fulfilling his constitutional responsibility to
ensure a strong judiciary.
As of today, July 7, 2004, the President has nominated 225
individuals to the Federal courts - 51 to the circuit courts and 174 to the
district courts. The President's nominees come from diverse backgrounds,
share sterling credentials, and are superbly qualified, with the finest
legal training, unquestionable character, and proven judgment.
The President's judicial nominees are highly respected and
qualified men and women.
President Bush's nominees are the most qualified of any recent Administration, based on a review of American Bar Association
ratings. Of the President's nominees who have been rated by the American Bar Association, 99% have been rated either well-qualified or
qualified.
Some Democratic Senators are using unprecedented obstructionist
tactics to block the President's judicial nominees.
A Senate minority composed of Democrats is obstructing the judicial confirmation process by waging unprecedented filibusters against
some of the President's most important nominees -- those to the Federal
courts of appeals. Six of the President's appeals court nominees who have
been favorably reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee have been
denied up-or-down votes. Each has enjoyed the support of a bipartisan
majority of Senators and would be confirmed if given a vote.
Home-State Democratic Senators have also succeeded in delaying
confirmation hearings on judicial nominees.
In this Presidency, more appeals court nominees have had to wait
over a year for a confirmation hearing than in the last 50 years
combined.
These obstructionist tactics are harming our judicial system.
The efforts of some Democratic Senators to delay the confirmation
of President Bush's judicial nominees come at a time when filings in
the federal courts are at an all-time high. More than one-third (11)
of the President's 25 pending judicial nominees are waiting to fill seats
that have been designated judicial emergencies.
The President has proposed a plan to fix the broken judicial
confirmation process.
The President has proposed a plan that would return fairness and
dignity to the judicial confirmation process and would apply no matter who
is President or which party controls the Senate. Under the
President's plan, judges would provide one-year advance notice of retirement, when possible; Presidents would submit nominations within 180 days of receiving notice of a vacancy or intended retirement, absent extraordinary circumstances; the Senate Judiciary Committee would
hold a hearing within 90 days of receiving a nomination, and the full
Senate would vote up-or-down on a nominee no more than 180 days after a nomination is submitted. Since announcing his plan, the President
has submitted nominations within 180 days of receiving notice of a
vacancy or intended retirement, absent extraordinary circumstances. And
the Judicial Conference has adopted a policy for judges to give
one-year advance notice of retirement. Regrettably, the Senate has not done its part. In many cases, it has unfairly delayed action on judicial nominations.
North Carolina nominees:
Michigan nominees:
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