Senate Proceeding 11-17-09 on Nov 17th, 2009 :: 1:46:20 to 1:53:30
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1:46:17 to 1:46:38( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: i strongly support this nominee. thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, ask the distinguished presiding officer to notify we when i have three minutes remaining. the presiding officer: the chair will do so. mr. le came to this floor time and time again to say during the time

1:46:20 to 1:53:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Patrick Leahy

1:46:39 to 1:46:59( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: when president bush was the most -- t bush was president that of course we shouldn't have filibusters on nomination. of filibusters. how wrong it would be. but here they switched that. they joined together never to prevent an up or down vote on

1:47:00 to 1:47:20( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: the nomination of a good man and good judge, david hamilton of indiana. i think the american people should see this for what it is, more partisan, narrow eological tactics that the republicans have been engaging ino pack the courts conservative judges.

1:47:21 to 1:47:42( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: what's at stake for the american people are their rights, their access to the courts, their ability to seek redress for wrongdoing, and, most importantly, mr. president, the fairness and balance fe on this nomination, and i thank the distinguished senator from michigan for pointing out these

1:47:43 to 1:48:05( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: 90 filibusters -- 90 delays just this year in this -- in this nomination it's not as tho out of the mainstream. the nonpartisan american bar association's gave judge hamilton their highest possible rating. he served as a federal district judge for 15 years.

1:48:06 to 1:48:27( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: he is the chief judge of the united states district court for the southern district of indiana. and very importantly, his nomination is supported by the senior republican in the not just the senior republican from indiana, but the senior republican of the whole senate, the senior home state

1:48:28 to 1:48:49( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: senator richard lugar and by senator evan bayh, a governor of the state of indiana. this is because president obama has reached acrosshe aisle to work with republican senators in making judicial nominations. the nomination of jud hamilton

1:48:50 to 1:49:10( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: is an example of that consultation. other examples of recent vacancies in south dakota, supported by republican senator thune, the nominee of a -- supported by republican senators martinez and lemieux. still other of the president's nomination to the 11th circuit

1:49:11 to 1:49:32( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: from georgia, supported by republican senators isakson and chambliss. the the fourth circuit from north carolina, and i'm told that republican senator burr will support it. and the nomination to a vacancy in alabama, supported by republican senators shelby and sessions.

1:49:33 to 1:49:53( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: now, i remind the republican senators of what they wrote when there was a republican president in the white house. how quickly they seem to forget. executive branch of the government to consult prior to submitting a judicial nomination

1:49:54 to 1:50:15( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: to the senate. for consideration. such a return to the early practices of our government may well serve, reduce the the advice and consent process. and we firmly believe this agreement is consistent with the traditions of the united states senate that we, as senators,

1:50:16 to 1:50:37( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: seek to hold. we have a republican president. now we have a democrat president who's done exactly what these republican senators recommend and they still, whoops, nope, we're going to we're going to filibuster. we're going to stall. we have six months to get a

1:50:38 to 1:50:59( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: nominee through in and then got a unimous vote. you administration, the republican president they condemned filibusters of judicial nominations is unconstitutional, obstructionist, offensive.

1:51:00 to 1:51:20( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: they issued a threat, t filibuster with president obama before he made a single nomination. they wrote in a march 2 letter to the president, "if we not consulted of and approve of a nominee from our stes, the republican conference will be unable to support moving forward on that nominee."

1:51:21 to 1:51:42( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: well, of course they consulted. the president'sirst nomination goes to the senior-most member of the republican party, senator lugar, for his approval and his support. he th republicans demanded that he do. and their response was, whoops, never thought you would

1:51:43 to 1:52:05( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: we asked for,ut we're still going to filibuster. senator lugar described judge hamilton as an exceptionally talented jur its, a type of -- jurist, a type of lawyer, type of person that one wants to seen the federal bench. the presiding officer: the senator has three minutes remaing. mr. leahy: i will go on.

1:52:06 to 1:52:28( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: he spoke of knowing david hamilton sis -- since his childhood, his mother was a soloist in the choir, senator lugar gave a brilliant speech on the floor yesterday speaking in favor of judge hamilton. when president bush worked with senators across the aisle, i

1:52:29 to 1:52:50( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: praised him. i expedited consideration ofis nominees. president obama reaches across the aisle, the senate republicans delays it. when i was here during the 48 months of president

1:52:51 to 1:53:14( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: term, 17 months of those 48 i chaired the senate judiciary committee and we confirmed 100 of his judicial nominees. 31 months, almost twice the amount of time, his own party controlling it, and confirmed another 100. this is partisanship gone rampant. i'll put into the record a

1:53:15 to 1:53:30( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: number of editorial pages across the country that urge senate republicans reject the distortion of judge hamilton's record and to heed senator lugar's words of praise for judge hamilton's record and intellect and character and allow a vote and then vot in