[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 30 (Monday, July 26, 2004)]
[Pages 1360-1361]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Senate Action To Block Votes on Nominations for Judges on 
the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

July 22, 2004

    Today a minority of Senators employed filibuster tactics to bar 
confirmation votes on three excellent judicial nominees from Michigan to 
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit--Judge Richard Griffin, 
Judge David McKeague, and Judge Henry Saad. Each of these nominees is 
eminently qualified, has the support of a majority of Senators, and 
would be confirmed if given an up-or-down vote.
    These filibuster tactics are shameful and inconsistent with the 
Senate's constitutional obligation. All three of these fine men are 
distinguished jurists. Together they have more than three decades of 
experience on the Michigan State and Federal courts. All three have been 
rated either well-qualified or qualified by the American Bar 
Association. The vacancies these judges have been nominated to fill have 
been designated judicial emergencies by the Judicial Conference of the 
United States. Yet all three nominees have been waiting more than 2 
years for an up-or-down vote in the Senate. By blocking votes on these 
nominations, a minority of Senators is continuing a crisis that has 
delayed the administration of justice in the Sixth Circuit.

[[Page 1361]]

    Prior to this Congress, the filibuster had never been used to block 
the confirmation of a judicial nominee. But in recent months, the use of 
this obstructionist tactic by some Democrats has become commonplace. 
With today's action, 10 appeals court nominees have now been 
filibustered.
    The Senate minority's unfair treatment of these nominees 
demonstrates the breakdown in the judicial confirmation process. More 
than 18 months ago, I proposed a plan that would ensure that judicial 
nominees receive timely hearings and up-or-down votes no matter who is 
President or which party controls the Senate. I again urge the Senate--
Republicans and Democrats alike--to put an end to the partisan politics 
of the past and ensure judicial nominees are given the timely up-or-down 
votes they deserve. The Senate owes it to these fine men and women and 
to the American people.