[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 JUDICIAL NOMINATION OF PRISCILLA OWEN

  (Mr. HENSARLING asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Speaker, 2 years ago this month, I rose to 
express my outrage with Democrats over their treatment of my fellow 
Texan, Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen. Today, due to Democrats' 
continued obstruction, Justice Owen, a highly qualified nominee from 
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, is still being denied a simple up-
or-down vote in the Senate.
  Madam Speaker, despite unanimously receiving the highest possible 
rating of the American Bar Association, despite the strong, bipartisan 
support of several former Texas Supreme Court Justices and 15 past 
presidents of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Supreme Court Justice 
Priscilla Owen has still not received a simple up-or-down vote for 4 
years. For 4 years, Senate Democrats have worked to obstruct our 
Constitution.
  When Republicans were in power during President Clinton's term, no 
judicial nominee was ever deprived of a vote due to a filibuster. Now, 
after 200 years of American history, Democrats want to unilaterally 
change the rules.
  Madam Speaker, Justice Owen has a right to get a vote on her 
nomination. Basic fairness dictates it, as does our Constitution.

                          ____________________