FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer
Ellison
703-739-5920
Shirley & Bannister Public Affairs
July 30, 2003
Center Applauds Judiciary Chairman for Squashing Sour Grapes
Politics on Sixth Circuit Judicial Nominees
Alexandria, Va
The
Center for Individual Freedom today applauded Senate Judiciary Chairman
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for holding a hearing on the confirmation of
Henry Saad, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge who is one of President
George W. Bush's nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit.
Senate
action on Saad's confirmation and that of three other nominees slated
to fill the vacant seats on the Sixth Circuit has been blocked by
Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow for well over a
year. Despite neither Senator stating any concerns about the nominees
themselves, Levin and Stabenow continue to hold a grudge over the
Senate's failure to confirm two of President Clinton's judicial
nominees -- one of whom is Senator Levin's cousin-in-law.
"This
example of sour grapes being played by Levin and Stabenow continues
to leave the people of Michigan without representation on their
own federal appeals court," said Jeffrey Mazzella, the Center's
Sr. Vice President of Legislative Affairs. "Not to mention the
negative impact it is having on the entire Sixth Circuit, which
currently suffers from a 25 percent vacancy rate, the highest of
any of the 12 federal appellate courts," Mazzella added.
Despite
Chairman Hatch's willingness to rise above Levin and Stabenow's
tactics, both Senators continue to oppose progress on the nominees.
That is, they claim, unless the President agrees to re-nominate
Helen White and Kathleen McCree, the nominees denied confirmation
under President Clinton, to the Sixth Circuit.
"Levin
and Stabenow's vendetta is nothing more than crude political blackmail
and gross misuse of power," said Mazzella. "It makes one wonder
if they even bothered to read the constitution before they took
the oath to support and defend it. As if obstructionism against
the President's judicial nominees weren't enough, Levin and Stabenow
now want executive nominating power, too.
"Senators
Levin and Stabenow should set aside their playground grudge and
do what's in the best interest of their constituents. That is stop
the obstructionism and follow Chairman Hatch's lead in moving forward
towards up-or-down votes on the President's Sixth Circuit and other
judicial nominees," Mazzella concluded.
The
Center for Individual Freedom is a non-partisan constitutional advocacy
group that fights to protect and defend individual freedoms and
rights in the legal, legislative and educational arenas.
###
|