    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 5, 2003]
    [Page 433]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Senate Confirmation of Deborah L. Cook as a United States Court of Appeals Circuit Judge
    May 5, 2003

        I commend the Senate for confirming Deborah Cook to be a Judge on
    the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She has served with
    distinction as an Ohio Supreme Court justice and is known for her
    integrity and outstanding legal ability. She has led a distinguished
    legal career, and she will make a superb appellate court judge.
        Justice Cook was first nominated on May 9, 2001, and has waited
    nearly 2 years for a vote. Some in the Senate continue to engage in
    obstructionist tactics and are preventing votes on two very qualified
    nominees who were also nominated on May 9, 2001, Miguel Estrada and Priscilla Owen.
    Richman
        Our justice system relies upon an independent court system, and when
    there are vacancies, the American people suffer. I again call on the
    Senate to put an end to the delays and to hold an up-or-down vote on all
    judicial nominees within a reasonable amount of time, regardless of who
    is President or which party controls the Senate.