[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4893-S4894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXECUTIVE SESSION
______
NOMINATION OF PAUL A. ENGELMAYER TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
______
NOMINATION OF RAMONA VILLAGOMEZ MANGLONA TO BE JUDGE FOR THE DISTRICT
COURT FOR THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume executive session to consider the following nominations, which
the clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read the nominations of Paul A.
Engelmayer, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the
Southern District of New York, and Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the
Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for the District Court for the
Northern Mariana Islands.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. There will be 2 minutes of debate equally
divided.
The Senator from Iowa.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I don't intend to use but 1 minute
because I spoke yesterday on this nomination, but I would urge my
colleagues to support the nomination of Paul A. Engelmayer to be
district judge. He is very well qualified, and I would encourage a
``yes'' vote.
I yield back the remainder of my time.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, yesterday I made a statement about the need
for the Senate to consider all 27 judicial nominees reviewed by the
Senate Judiciary Committee and now awaiting final action by the Senate.
I was disappointed that the votes on Paul Engelmayer to fill a judicial
emergency vacancy on the Southern District of New York and Ramona
Manglona to fill a 10-year term on the District Court for the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which had already been
stalled for 3\1/2\ months, were not considered yesterday. These are the
kinds of qualified, consensus judicial nominations that in past years
would have been confirmed promptly. I hope and trust that at least they
will be considered and confirmed today.
After their confirmations, there will be 25 judicial nominations
fully considered by the Judiciary Committee awaiting final action by
the Senate. Twenty of them were unanimously reported, without a single
negative vote. Regrettably, the Senate has not reduced vacancies as
dramatically as we did during the Bush administration. Federal judicial
vacancies around the country still number too many, and they have
persisted for far too long.
By the August recess in the third year of the Bush administration,
the Senate had confirmed 143 Federal circuit and district court judges.
As we approach the August recess in the third year of the Obama
administration, the comparable number after confirmation of Paul
Engelmayer and Ramona Manglona today will be only 91.
We have a long way to go to do as well as we did during President
Bush's first term, when we confirmed 205 of his judicial nominations.
The Senate confirmed 100 of those judicial nominations during the 17
months I was chairman during President Bush's first 2 years in office.
So far, as we near the end of President Obama's 30th month in office,
the Senate has only been allowed to consider and confirm only 91 of
President Obama's Federal circuit and district court nominees. Despite
the needs of the Federal judiciary, the delays in confirmation of
President Obama's consensus judicial nominees continue to the detriment
of the American people.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I yield our time on this side.
[[Page S4894]]
Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There is a sufficient second.
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination
of Paul A. Engelmayer, of New York, to be United States District Judge
for the Southern District of New York?
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr.
Rockefeller) is necessarily absent.
Mr. KYL. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coons). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 0, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 117 Ex.]
YEAS--98
Akaka
Alexander
Ayotte
Barrasso
Baucus
Begich
Bennet
Bingaman
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Boxer
Brown (MA)
Brown (OH)
Burr
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Chambliss
Coats
Coburn
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
DeMint
Durbin
Enzi
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagan
Harkin
Hatch
Heller
Hoeven
Hutchison
Inouye
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (SD)
Johnson (WI)
Kerry
Kirk
Klobuchar
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Lee
Levin
Lieberman
Lugar
Manchin
McCain
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Moran
Murkowski
Murray
Nelson (NE)
Nelson (FL)
Paul
Portman
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Risch
Roberts
Rubio
Sanders
Schumer
Sessions
Shaheen
Shelby
Snowe
Stabenow
Tester
Thune
Toomey
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Vitter
Warner
Webb
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
NOT VOTING--2
Inhofe
Rockefeller
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question now is, Will the Senate advise
and consent to the nomination of Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the
Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for the District Court for the
Northern Mariana Islands?
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to
reconsider are considered made and laid on the table, and the President
shall be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.
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