[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 113 (Thursday, September 21, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8881-S8882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ACTIONS

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I understand another disturbing event has 
happened this morning. I am informed that the Senate Judiciary 
Committee has met this morning and has refused to report out any more 
judges--refused to do so; just stopped. Again, this flies in the face 
of what our responsibilities are supposed to be around here. If someone 
doesn't like a person, or they don't think they are qualified--I should 
not say ``doesn't like''--if they don't think they are qualified to 
assume a judgeship, let them vote against that person. But that doesn't 
give them a reason to hold someone up in committee.
  I am speaking specifically of my Iowa constituent, Bonnie Campbell, 
former attorney general with the State of Iowa who is now pending in 
the Judiciary Committee for a vacancy on the Court of Appeals for the 
Eighth Circuit.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Will the Senator yield for just a second? I just want 
to make sure, I just want to ask the Senator, Bonnie Campbell has 
directed all of the work against violence against women; is that 
correct? My wife Sheila works closely with her. She has done phenomenal 
work, has just a great reputation; am I correct?
  Mr. HARKIN. Exactly; the Senator is exactly correct. Bonnie Campbell 
has, for the last 4 years, directed the Office of Violence Against 
Women in the Department of Justice. I can't find one person on either 
side of the aisle who says she hasn't done a superb job.
  She has received accolades from all over this country about guiding 
and directing that office. She is widely supported by the American Bar 
Association, by people on both sides of the aisle, the party in her 
home State of Iowa who know the kind of outstanding person she is, how 
bright she is, how capable she is, what a great job she did as attorney 
general in the State of Iowa, and now in the Violence Against Women 
Office in the Department of Justice.
  People on both sides of the aisle support her nomination, and yet the 
Senate Judiciary Committee refuses to report her out of committee. She 
has had her hearing. That has all been taken care of. All the paperwork 
is done. She has answered all the questions.
  I say to the Judiciary Committee: Report her nomination out. If for 
some reason you think she is unqualified--I cannot imagine why--then 
you can cast your vote, but at least let's bring the nominee to the 
floor.
  There are 22 vacancies on the appeals court. That is nearly half the 
emergency vacancies in the Federal court system. With the growing 
number of vacancies in the Federal courts, these positions should be 
filled as soon as possible with qualified people. Yet the Judiciary 
Committee refuses to move.
  Ms. Campbell received a hearing this summer. She would serve this 
position on the Eighth Circuit with honor, fairness, and distinction. 
She has the solid support from me and my Iowa colleague, Senator 
Grassley. Her nomination should be sent to the Senate floor.
  Bonnie Campbell has had a long history in law, starting in 1984 with 
her private practice in Des Moines where she worked on cases involving 
medical malpractice, employment discrimination, personal injury, real 
estate, family law--a broadly based legal practice. She was then 
elected attorney general of Iowa in 1990, the first woman to hold that 
office in our State. She managed an office of 200 people, including 120 
attorneys, again, handling a wide variety of criminal and civil matters 
for State agencies and officers. As attorney general, she gained high 
marks from all ends of the political spectrum as someone who was 
committed to enforcing the law, reducing crime, and protecting our 
consumers.
  In 1995, she was appointed director of the Violence Against Women 
Office in the Department of Justice. In that position, she has played a 
critical role in the implementation of the violence against women 
provisions of the 1994 Crime Act. Again, she has won the respect from a 
wide range of interests with different points of views on this issue. 
She has been and is today responsible for the overall coordination and 
agenda of the Department of Justice efforts to combat violence against 
women.

[[Page S8882]]

  I have known Bonnie Campbell for many years. She is a person of 
unquestioned integrity, keen intellect, and outstanding judgment. She 
has a great sense of fairness and evenhandedness. These qualities and 
her significant experience make her an ideal candidate for this circuit 
court position. Her nomination has been strongly supported by many of 
her colleagues, including the present Iowa attorney general, the 
president of the Iowa State Police Association and, of course, the 
American Bar Association.
  Finally, we need a judicial system that reflects the diversity of 
this Nation. We need more women and people of color on the bench. Only 
20 percent of all federal judge position in the country are filled by 
women, according to the Justice Department.
  We have a backlog of judicial vacancies. It is only fair to move 
them, and we ought to move all of them out, especially Bonnie Campbell. 
She has had her hearing. Her nomination is sitting in the Judiciary 
Committee. If the reports I just heard are correct, the Judiciary 
Committee is stonewalling, refusing to move her name out to the floor 
of the Senate.
  As I said earlier, this is another indication of how the leadership 
in this Senate is shirking its responsibilities to the people of this 
country--to put it off, delay, stonewall, don't do anything--when we 
have a crying need to fill these vacancies.

  I am very dismayed. I had talked with the majority leader and the 
chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch, and others about 
this. And, Senator Grassley and I had remained hopeful that her name 
would be reported out so the Senate could act on it, but it seems we 
have been led astray, that it is the intention of the chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee to lock up this nomination and not report out 
Bonnie Campbell.
  The women of this country ought to know that. The women of this 
country ought to know that a uniquely qualified, eminently qualified 
individual to take a vacant position on the Eighth Circuit Court of 
Appeals is being denied by the Judiciary Committee her right to have a 
vote. Is that what the Judiciary Committee is telling the women of this 
country--that they need to take a back seat, that they will not act on 
these judicial nominees if you are a woman, qualified as Bonnie 
Campbell is?
  I am very upset about this. I had in good faith been reluctant to 
exercise my rights as a Senator to in any way inhibit or do anything 
that would stop the flow of legislation or anything on the Senate floor 
because I had, I guess mistakenly, been of the opinion, or at least 
advised, if we just waited a due length of time, Bonnie Campbell's name 
would be reported out. Again, I think I was obviously mistaken, that my 
faith--my good faith--was not responded to in kind.
  This is not right. It is not right to treat a person like this. It is 
not right to block someone who has had their hearing and is widely 
supported on both sides of the aisle. It might be a different story if 
there were a lot of controversy about Bonnie Campbell, but there is 
none. As I said, Senator Grassley, a conservative Republican, is openly 
supporting her. Republicans in my State have been supportive of her 
getting on the Eighth Circuit.
  This is, I think, a black mark on the operations of the Senate, 
another indication of how the leadership of this Senate refuses to do 
the people's business, to let things come out on the floor so we can 
vote up or down. Bonnie Campbell is being denied her right, I believe, 
as a citizen of this country to have her nomination acted upon by the 
full Senate, and it is a bad mark on the Senate.
  I am hopeful the Judiciary Committee will reconsider its action--
rather, its inaction. The Judiciary Committee can meet tomorrow, they 
can meet Monday, they can meet any day the chairman wants them to meet 
and report out this nominee. I was under the impression that was going 
to happen today, but obviously I had the wrong impression of what the 
Senate Judiciary Committee was going to do.
  I urge the chairman to convene the Judiciary Committee and report 
Bonnie Campbell's name out before this session is over.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 
minutes before those who have time reserved come to the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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