Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit calls on Senate to "Act on Judicial Nominees Without Delay"

The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit has drafted a powerful letter calling on the Senate to "act on judicial nominees without delay." The signatories include the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit, five other prominent circuit judges, and the Chief Judges of the district courts in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. These leading jurists, appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, wrote "to emphasize [their] desperate need for judges," stating that courts "cannot do their work if authorized judicial positions remain vacant."

Two nominees to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals--Goodwin Liu and Mary Murguia--and three district court nominees--including Ed Chen, nominee to the Northern District of California--are awaiting final confirmation votes in the Senate. Liu, Murguia, and Chen would fill seats considered to be "judicial emergencies" by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The full letter is available at: http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/111510-letter-from-9th-circuit.pdf