Conservative lawmakers and family advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., today in support of Judge Robert Conrad, who was nominated to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court in July 2007 and has been waiting for a vote ever since.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, again called on Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the committee, to schedule a hearing for Conrad.
North Carolina Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr joined Concerned Women for America and others at the rally.
“Bob Conrad is a very qualified nominee with a long history of public service, and he has a reputation as a fair and capable judge,” Burr said. “His confirmation has been delayed for over 330 days, and it is wrong to hold up this nomination.”
In President Bush's final two years in office, the Senate has confirmed just eight circuit court nominees. Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the average for the last two years of a president’s term is 16 or 17 confirmed court of appeals judges.
“Senator Leahy has made an art form out of his slow-walking of candidates, his empty promises of votes that never happen, his slander of well-qualified nominees that are not liberal enough for him, and then figuring out a way to blame the president for his (Leahy's) obstructionism," Hausknecht said.
Also stuck in a holding pattern are Peter Keisler and Steve Matthews. Keisler has been waiting nearly two years.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been working with Specter for months to push Leahy to confirm these judges.
“The majority needs to start confirming circuit court nominees,” McConnell said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the Judiciary Committee is moving at a glacial pace.
“There are several outstanding nominees who have been sitting in the committee who meet the chairman’s criteria, and until they are treated fairly, the majority will find our cooperation increasingly hard to come by.”
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