[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1999)]
[Page 1930]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Senate Action on the Nomination of Ronnie L. White To Be 
United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri

October 5, 1999

    Today the Senate defeated the nomination of Ronnie White for the 
Federal District Court in Missouri. This vote was a disgraceful act of 
partisan politics by the Republican majority and creates real doubt on 
the ability of the Senate to fairly perform its constitutional duty to 
advise and consent. By voting down the first African-American judge to 
serve on the Missouri Supreme Court, the Republicans have deprived both 
the judiciary and the people of Missouri of an excellent, fair, and 
impartial Federal judge.
    Judge White was a casualty of a judicial confirmation process that 
has lost any pretense of fairness. There was never any doubt about Judge 
White's ability to apply the law impartially. To defeat the candidacy of 
Judge White, the Republican majority maligned and distorted White's 
death penalty record, falsely creating a pretext for his defeat. While 
serving on the Missouri State Supreme Court, Judge White affirmed the 
imposition of the death penalty in almost 70 percent of the cases that 
came before him. Moreover, in 10 of the 18 reported instances in which 
Judge White voted to not impose the death penalty, he did so with an 
unanimous court.
    The disappointing action of the Senate today provides strong 
evidence for those who believe that the Senate treats minority and women 
judicial nominees unequally. This is a sad day for the cause of equal 
justice.