Ten months after he was nominated by President Bush, the U.S. Senate today confirmed Judge Leslie Southwick’s nomination to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 59-38
Since January, Senate Democrats have tried to portray Southwick as a homophobic racist, based on a few appeals-court decisions that he didn’t write. Liberal special-interest groups also have done their best to destroy Southwick's exemplary reputation.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats did not handle the confirmation process unfairly.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, believes the confirmation is long overdue and said the highly qualified judge will serve the 5th Circuit well.
“I am very pleased that, even in the politically charged atmosphere of the Senate confirmation process, good things can still happen to good people,” he said. “Judge Southwick's confirmation is a tribute to his unequalled reputation as a fair jurist as well as his patriotic service to our country. The country benefits from another jurist who will interpret the law rather than create it from the bench.”
Hausknecht said the grassroots are to thank.
"At key times during committee hearings and before key votes, calls to action by grassroots organizations resulted in numerous calls to Senators, reminding them that Americans were watching, and that this man was worthy of their vote," he said. "The result speaks to the effectiveness of those efforts."
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, said Southwick’s ordeal only highlights the fact that the confirmation process for judicial nominees is severely flawed.
“We’re deeply troubled by obstructionists who chose to play political games instead of carrying out their constitutional responsibilities in a timely manner,” Sekulow said. “The Senate leadership did not serve the American people well.”
