Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy
On The Change In Senate Majority
And The Judiciary Committee

November 6, 2002

“Fifteen months is not long, but we have used it well, and I hope the new majority will carry forward many of our priorities, especially when it comes to fulfilling our committee’s oversight responsibilities.

“During these 15 months, we joined forces with the House Judiciary Committee to enact the first new charter for the Justice Department in two decades, and we launched the first comprehensive oversight of the FBI in just as long.  We enacted new anti-terrorism laws, and I hope our close oversight of these laws, and of the FBI, will continue.

“We also restored steadiness to the judicial nominations process and did more in 15 months than had been done in the previous 30 months.  We voted on 100 judicial nominees and approved 98 of them.  In the next session, I expect there will continue to be disagreements over nominees who are chosen primarily for their ideology and not for their independence.”

# # # # #