ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE PRAISES SENATE FOR BREAKING THE FILIBUSTER OF DISTRICT COURT NOMINEE JACK McCONNELL AND TURNING AWAY EFFORTS BY CORPORATE INTERESTS TO CAPTURE THE NOMINATIONS PROCESS
Washington, D.C., May 4, 2011– Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron released the following statement on the successful vote in the United States Senate to overcome a Republican filibuster of the nomination of Jack McConnell to the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island:
We commend the United States Senate for turning back efforts to prevent Jack McConnell from receiving a vote for a seat on the United States District Court. Democrats, along with 11 principled Republicans, refused to participate in the filibuster of a district court nominee. This effort to stymie a final vote was virtually without precedent and blatantly disregarded Senate traditions. Today’s vote was also a victory for everyday Americans against those who were willing to unceremoniously discard long-standing Senate practices and the fragile spirit of comity in order to satisfy the desires of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. This attempt by senators beholden to corporate interests to politicize the judicial nomination process demonstrated profound disrespect for a process that has served the Senate well throughout its history and for the judicial system itself, which faces a crisis of empty courtrooms across the nation. We congratulate those senators from both parties who were willing to fulfill their constitutional duty and put the interests of the nation first.
With today’s vote and the establishment of a clear bipartisan consensus on the need for yes-or-no votes on nominees to the federal bench, the path is now clear to move forward on all nominees pending in the Senate, including Jack McConnell. We call on the White House and the Senate to increase the pace of nominations and confirmation and to redouble their efforts to fully staff our federal courts.
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