Comment Of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
On The Re-Nomination Of Charles W. Pickering
Jan. 8, 2003

“The President has the right to nominate anyone he wants to nominate to the federal courts, but after the Democratic Senate confirmed 100 of the President’s judicial nominees in just 17 months, I had hoped that the White House would reconsider such a divisive step as this re-nomination.  This is a nomination that divides the American people and divides the Senate.

“The President has made his decision, but the Senate also has its constitutional role.  A majority of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have already carefully examined Judge Pickering’s record and found he was not qualified for this promotion to the appellate court because of the low quality of his judging, his habit of showing personal bias and his admitted ethical lapses as a federal judge.  This powerful case will continue to weigh against his elevation when his record is reviewed again in the 108^th Congress.”

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[Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and will be the panel’s ranking Democratic member after the Senate approves an organizing resolution for the 108^th Congress.]