[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Before I ask permission to speak as if in morning 
business. I don't disagree with anything the majority leader said, but 
I would like to bring these facts out about judicial vacancies.
  There are 83 judicial vacancies, and some of those are emergencies. 
And in the case of the total of 83 vacancies, the President has only 
sent up 44 nominees for those 83 vacancies. So I want to make it very 
clear--and it is something that is quite obvious--that the U.S. Senate 
or any of its leaders can't be expected to act upon vacancies where the 
President hasn't submitted nominees.
  I think it is intended to make Republicans look bad when they use 
those vacancies as a statistic without making it clear that the 
President of the United States is the one who is dragging his feet as 
far as filling those vacancies.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 25 minutes as 
if in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________