Senator Patrick Leahy Press Release: Republican Objections Now Stall Even Committee Progress

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Today the Judiciary Committee was scheduled to welcome two of President Obama’s nominees to fill vacancies on the Federal bench in California: Professor Goodwin Liu, nominated to fill a vacancy on the Ninth Circuit, and Magistrate Judge Kimberly Mueller, nominated to a judgeship in the Eastern District of California. However, we will not be able to hear from those nominees today because Senate Republicans have anonymously objected to the hearing. They have continued their ill-advised protest of meaningful health reform legislation by exploiting parliamentary tactics and Senate Rules, to the detriment of the American people and, in today’s instance, at the expense of American justice.

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=D3AD1B42-FBB7-4252-A84B-4FD3BF8456B5


and earlier in the day:


Senate Republicans’ tactics of obstruction and delay know no limit. They have objected to reasonable timetables to consider President Obama’s qualified judicial nominees, and now they are objecting to allowing the Judiciary Committee to conduct hearings in connection with these nominations. Senate Republicans continue their ill-advised protest of meaningful health reform legislation by exploiting parliamentary tactics and Senate Rules, to the detriment of the American people and, in today’s instance, at the expense of American justice. I urge them to reconsider and allow this hearing to proceed as scheduled.

I have accommodated requests from Judiciary Committee Republicans to delay the Committee’s hearing to consider Professor Liu’s nomination. I had intended to hold this hearing two weeks ago, but instead scheduled a hearing for Judge Robert Chatigny, a nominee to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. When Republicans who had agreed to proceed on the Chatigny nomination then reversed themselves and asked that I postpone the hearing on that nomination, I did so as a further accommodation to them. Those accommodations have met with the same Republican stonewalling we have seen in our efforts to consider judicial nominees since President Obama was elected, including the stalling of 22 judicial nominees favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee and awaiting final Senate approval. Sixteen of those judicial nominees were voted out of Committee without opposition and yet the delay and obstruction continues.

From the moment his nomination was announced, Senate Republicans have targeted Professor Liu with criticism and opposition. Professor Liu is a widely-respected constitutional law professor with sterling credentials. His brilliance is admired by legal thinkers and academic scholars from across the political spectrum. As conceded by a Fox News commentator, his qualifications for the appellate bench are “unassailable.” Yet Senate Republicans insist on slow-walking even the Committee’s process in considering this highly qualified nominee, refusing to allow him to answer their questions and respond to their attacks.

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=B7A6018B-8453-4595-96D0-3EC8BD715CC2



Previous posts (Mueller)

Obama Nominates Catherine Eagles, Kimberly Mueller & John McConnell to the US District Court (Fri Mar-12-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7900254

Added to the hearing with Liu this Wed is Kimberly Mueller (Mon Mar-22-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7985782#7988680



Previous posts (Liu)

Progressives to rejoice, Obama nominates Goodwin Liu (Thu Feb-25-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7789498

Editorial: Liu is more than qualified to serve on appeals court (Mon Mar-01-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7816130

Fox News composes a hit piece on Obama nominee Goodwin Liu (Fri Mar-05-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7846137

Oakland Tribune: Obama judicial nominee already a target (Sat Mar-06-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7854860

9th Circuit candidate's career marked by rapid ascent, wide-ranging roles (Goodwin Liu) (Wed Mar-10-10)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-goodwin-liu9-2010mar09,0,1301596.story

AP: Young appeals court nominee raises liberal hopes (Sun Mar-14-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7912313

Testimony of Professor Goodwin Liu on the Nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. January 10, 2006 (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7925476&mesg_id=7925476

San Francisco Chronicle: Obama nominee Goodwin Liu an unassuming man (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7929953

Senate Judiciary Committee schedules Goodwin Liu nomination hearing (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7930102

WP: Law professor Goodwin Liu may be test case for Obama judicial picks (Mon Mar-22-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7985276

ABC: SCOTUS Battle Quietly Brews, Contentious Hearing for Lower Court Nominee to Foreshadow (Mon Mar-22-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7985782

Ring-wing response to video threatens Obama judicial nominee (Mon Mar-22-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7986200

Websites form to support the nomination of Goodwin Liu (Tue Mar-23-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7992722

LAT: Controversy Over Obama Judge, GOP "preparing to mount an assault" (Tue Mar-23-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8000730

Senate Judiciary postpones the Goodwin Liu hearing "due to Republican objection" (Wed Mar-24-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8010610

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1. Okay, children. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO ABOUT IT?

What utter babies. And I want footage of every blockage. I want the ads ready to go in every district.

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2. I want them to work on the weekends and shove the real liberal ones down their throats

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3. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) blocked the hearing "on behalf of Republican colleagues"

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/88837-senate-republicans-block-committee-hearings-again?page=2#comments

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4. Rachel covered this tonight.