    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [July 7, 2004]
    [Pages 1245-1247]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Judicial Nominees in Waterford,
    Michigan
    July 7, 2004

        Good afternoon. I just met with six of my judicial nominees from the
    State of Michigan. I knew these were decent people, capable people, when
    I nominated them. My meeting with them today confirmed that. These are
    good people.

    [[Page 1246]]

        They are of the highest caliber. They've been rated well by the ABA,
    ``qualified'' or ``well-qualified.'' In other words, the experts have
    taken a look at them and said these are qualified people to do the job.
    They're devoted public servants. They--their nominations are stalled
    because of the tactics of a minority of Senators. These are superb
    nominees. They deserve a vote. They deserve to have their day on the
    Senate floor.
        Four of the nominees are waiting to join the Sixth Circuit Court of
    Appeals. David McKeague was confirmed
    unanimously by the Senate 12 years ago to serve as a Federal judge for
    the Western District of Michigan. Susan Neilson is an outstanding judge with more than a decade of
    experience on the bench. Henry Saad is a State
    appeals court judge. Richard Griffin has
    had 16 years of experience as a State judge. These experienced and
    dedicated individuals are needed, vitally needed, on the Sixth Circuit
    Court of Appeals. I'll tell you why: Congress has authorized 16 judges
    for this court, yet 4 seats are vacant. All four of these vacancies have
    been designated judicial emergencies by the Judicial Conference of the
    United States. It is irresponsible for the United States Senate to deny
    an appeals court 25 percent of the judges it needs.
        My nominees for the district courts in Michigan have also waited far
    too long. Tom Ludington, a respected
    State judge for nearly 10 years, has waited more than 21 months without
    a vote. Dan Ryan, a jurist with a decade of
    experience on the State bench, is held up for more than a year. I
    believe this treatment is unfair. I believe it's disrespectful. It is a
    disservice to the people of this State.
        My Michigan nominees are not only the ones--are not the only ones
    being blocked by a Senate minority. Since I took office, more appeals
    court nominees have been forced to wait over a year just for a hearing
    than in the past 50 years combined. Six of my appeal court nominees have
    earned enough support to be confirmed by a vote on the floor of the
    Senate yet have been filibustered. It's an unprecedented step against
    appeals court nominees.
        I believe this is unfair treatment. I believe that some Senators are
    doing this because they don't appreciate the fact that I named judges
    who will faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench.
    They apparently want activist judges who will rewrite the law from the
    bench. I believe if laws need to be written, they need to be written by
    the legislature, by the legislative body.
        Some Members are undermining the quality of justice in America by
    playing politics with these nominees. You see, vacancies on the bench
    leave sitting judges overworked. They cause needless delays in the
    provision of justice.
        Now, I am pleased that the Senate recently voted on 25 of my
    judicial nominees. That was a welcome step. Yet it's not enough. These
    six from Michigan have waited far too long. The Senate must hear that
    there is an emergency. The time for giving these men and women a fair
    hearing is now. They deserve an up-or-down vote. I proposed a way to fix
    this system, and that is for judges to provide a one-year advance notice
    on retirement or departure. Upon that notice, the President would select
    a nominee within 180 days. And then the Senate would hold both a hearing
    and an up-or-down vote within 180 days of the nomination. This seems
    fair to me. It would treat these people who are willing to serve fairly.
        I met with the six members, six nominees, because I wanted to assure
    them I was not going to abandon their nomination, no matter what the
    politics was like in the U.S. Senate. And I wanted to thank them for
    their patience. It's not easy to be nominated and then have your hearing
    held up for political purposes.
        These are good, decent people. I asked them to thank their families.
    And now I'm calling upon the Senators from this State

    [[Page 1247]]

    and the minority of Senators who were refusing to move my nominees along
    to be fair and just give them a vote. They can express their opinions
    about whether or not they think these judges are qualified. Obviously, I
    think they are. They can argue about their judicial temperament, and
    that's a fine debate. But for fairness' sake, give them a vote, up or
    down.
        The people of Michigan must know that six good, decent Michiganders
    who are capable people are not being allowed to serve their State on the
    Federal benches because of politics being played in Washington, DC.
        Thank you for giving me a chance to come by and discuss this very
    important issue. I appreciate it.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. at the Oakland County
    International Airport.