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Mr. REID. Mr. President, later today the Senate will confirm Waverly Crenshaw to serve as a district judge for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Mr. Crenshaw is a superb nominee with impeccable credentials and a sharp legal mind. He works at a prestigious law firm in Nashville, where he became the first ever African-American partner.
Mr. Crenshaw is well liked by Democrats and well liked by Republicans. His nomination is supported by the Republican Senators from Tennessee, and the Judiciary Committee reported his nomination unanimously.
Waverly Crenshaw's confirmation is desperately needed. The vacancy he will fill in the Middle District of Tennessee is a judicial emergency, meaning there are more cases than the judges in that district can administer.
While I am pleased the Senate will confirm Mr. Crenshaw later today, I wonder why this eminently qualified nominee wasn't confirmed a long time ago. It has been more than a year since President Obama nominated him. The Judiciary Committee reported his nomination unanimously more than 9 months ago.
That a consensus nominee like Waverly Crenshaw had to wait so long to be confirmed is another example--and not a good one--of Senate Republicans' concerted effort to undermine the American judiciary system. The Republican leader and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee are leading an all-out assault on our Nation's courts by depriving them of qualified judges.
Americans know of Republicans' unprecedented obstruction of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. Republican gridlock is precluding Judge Garland from a hearing and a vote. But that same gridlock is extending to important lower court nominees also.
Republicans' slow-walking and obstruction of circuit and district court nominees is so pronounced that it is actually making history, and I am not sure it is good history.
To date, this Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed only 16 judicial nominations. Today will be the 17th. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, that is good enough to make this Republican Senate the worst at confirming circuit court and district court judges.
Chairman Grassley is running the least productive Judiciary Committee since World War II, measured in both judges reported out of committee and judges confirmed. Because of the Republicans' sloth, judiciary emergencies have nearly tripled, leaving our courts overworked and Americans without prompt access to their judiciary system. Republicans are refusing to do their job, and the American people are suffering as a result. Republican efforts to cripple our judiciary will reverberate for decades, preventing Americans from obtaining justice.
It is time for the Republican leader and the senior Senator from Iowa to put an end to this obstruction. It is time they discontinue using the Senate Judiciary Committee as a political arm of the Republican leader's office and start doing their job. This should begin by doing their constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee.
The Republican leader and Senator Grassley should give Judge Garland a hearing and a vote. They should stop stalling, hoping that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz will nominate Justice Scalia's successor. This should give even Republicans pause.
Then the Republican leader and the Judiciary Committee should move the backlog of qualified judicial nominations who are awaiting confirmation--and there are a lot of them--nominees like Paula Xinis, whom President Obama nominated to serve as a judge for the District Court of Maryland. Ms. Xinis, who is a partner in a renowned Baltimore law firm, has 13 years of experience as a Federal public defender. For 5 years she worked as the director of training for the Office of the Federal Public Defender in all of Maryland.
The Judiciary Committee reported Ms. Xinis 7 months ago. Yet, for more than half a year, Senator Grassley has ignored her nomination.
She is not alone. The Republican leader is delaying other qualified, consensus nominations.
Edward Stanton was nominated to the Western District of Tennessee and is supported by Senator Alexander and, of course, Senator Corker. The committee reported his nomination in October.
Robert Rossiter was nominated to the District of Nebraska and has the support of both of his home State Republican Senators. The committee reported his nomination in October.
And there are two nominees to the Western District of Pennsylvania, Susan Paradise Baxter and Marilyn Jean Horan, who were recommended by Senators Casey and Toomey. But even though it was recommended by a Republican Senator, the committee reported the nominations in January but hasn't done anything since.
There are many other nominees whom the Judiciary Committee is ignoring altogether--not even holding hearings.
So why aren't Republican Senators pressing the Republican leader to do his job and schedule votes on these stalled nominations? Why isn't the Judiciary Committee doing their part to get these judges confirmed? Why isn't the chairman of the committee doing his part?
This is the same Senator Grassley who in 2008 said this:
We should get our job done and confirm these nominees because that is what it takes for the judicial branch to get their work done. The judiciary needs to have the personnel to get their job done.
So let's do what Senator Grassley said a few years ago. Let's get the job done.
From the Supreme Court down to the district courts, let's get the job done for our Nation's judiciary.
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