Estrada Withdraws his Nomination

In the release reproduced here, the Center for Individual Freedom lambasted Senate Democrats for their obstructionist tactics which have eroded the principle of separation of powers outlined in the U.S. Constitution and torpedoed the independence of our federal judiciary.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeffrey Mazzella
703.535.5836

September 4, 2003

Center Denounces Democrat Obstructionism as Setting a Dangerous Precedent and Making a Mockery of Judicial Confirmation Process

Estrada Withdraws his Nomination; Democrats Plot More Filibusters; When Will it End?

Alexandria, Va. — As a result of Miguel Estrada’s decision to withdraw his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Center for Individual Freedom today lambasted Senate Democrats for their obstructionist tactics which have eroded the principle of separation of powers outlined in the U.S. Constitution and torpedoed the independence of our federal judiciary.

"Estrada’s decision to withdraw is a major win for Democrats and the far-left special interest groups that have colluded to deny him an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor for an astonishing two and a half years," said Jeffrey Mazzella, the Center’s Executive Director.

Miguel Estrada was the first Hispanic ever nominated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and one of the initial 11 nominees to the federal appellate courts sent to the Senate by President Bush in May 2001.

"Miguel Estrada’s withdrawal is understandable, but the dangerous precedent that has been established with his announcement is a direct blow to our constitutional system of separation of powers and a redefining of the President’s power to nominate federal jurists," said Mazzella. "The Democrats’ campaign of ‘obstruct and delay’ will only intensify, further contributing to the crisis in the federal courts.

"It is time for the Senate to put an end to Minority Leader Tom Daschle and his cohorts’ obstructionism with the Presidents judicial nominees," Mazzella continued. "With the specter of 10 simultaneous filibusters that Daschle and Company are currently plotting on the horizon, there appears no end in sight for the mockery being made of the judicial confirmation process and the U.S. Constitution.

"Today is a sad day for all Americans. Tom Daschle should be ashamed of himself for sinking to such sophomoric politics," 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.

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