The Senate's Continuing Failure to Act on Judicial and Other Nominations

April 22, 1999

This week I addressed the Senate on the long pending nomination of Bill Lann Lee to head the Civil Rights Division. I hope that we can make progress and get him the Senate vote that he deserves.

With respect to judicial nominations, we have made progress. Just before it adjourned last Thursday, the Senate confirmed by unanimous consent two judicial nominations. Those are the first confirmations of the year.

The Senate in now faced with 65 current vacancies. We are receiving another four nominations today, which will bring the total of pending judicial nominations to 35.

It is now approaching the end of April and this Committee has still yet to hold a confirmation hearing. The hearing that the Chairman hoped to hold this week did not take place and none is noticed for next week.

By this time last year, the Senate had confirmed over 20 judges. By this time last year, we had held four confirmation hearing for judges.

During the four years that the Republican majority has controlled the Senate, it has not even kept up with attrition on the federal bench. Even with the confirmations achieved last year and the two this year, the current vacancies number more than existed at the time the Senate recessed in 1994. The Senate has not made the progress it should have in filling the longstanding vacancies that continue to plague the federal judiciary.

The Senate is back to its steady pace of confirming less than one judge a month. That is not acceptable, does not serve the interests of justice and does not fulfil our constitutional responsibilities.

I thank Senator Hatch for his kind words and know that he takes these responsibilities seriously. I hope that we can make real progress in the days ahead.