Address by the President to the Nation, 11-02-02

WhiteHouse.gov ^ | 11-02-02 | George W. Bush

[Salvation]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 2, 2002

Radio Address by the President to the Nation

     Audio

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. The federal courts play a central role in American justice -- protecting the innocent, punishing the guilty and upholding the rule of law. Yet, our federal courts today are in crisis. The judicial confirmation process does not work as it should. Nominees are too often mistreated. Votes are delayed, hearings are denied and dozens of federal judgeships sit empty, endangering the quality of justice in America.

Since coming into office, I have sent to the Senate 32 nominees for the federal courts of appeals. These nominees are men and women with experience, intelligence, character and bipartisan home-state support. They represent the mainstream of American law and American values. Yet the Senate has confirmed only 14 of these 32 nominees. As of this week, 15 of my appeals court nominees will have been forced to wait over a year for a hearing, which is more than under the previous nine Presidents combined.

There is no good reason why any nominee should endure a year, a year and a half, or more, without the courtesy of an up-or-down floor vote. Whatever the explanation, we clearly have a poisoned atmosphere in which well-qualified nominees are neither voted up nor voted down -- they're just left in limbo. If this situation persists and judicial vacancies go unfulfilled, the federal courts will be unable to act in a timely manner to enforce the criminal laws, the environmental laws and the civil right laws that affect the lives of every American.

The judicial crisis is the result of a broken system, and we have a duty to repair it. I want to work with the Senate to fashion a new approach to filling federal court vacancies -- a bipartisan approach that would apply now and in the future. This week, I have offered four proposals to break the logjam in Washington and bring the federal courts to full strength.

First, I call on federal judges to notify the President of their intention to retire at least a year in advance, whenever possible. Because the nomination and confirmation of a federal judge is a lengthy process, judges who retire without advance notice can unintentionally create a judicial vacancy for many months.

Second, I propose that Presidents submit a nomination to the Senate within 180 days of receiving notice of a federal court vacancy or intended retirement. This will continue, but speed up, the process of obtaining recommendations and evaluations from home state senators and others, while leaving ample time for Presidents to choose nominees of the highest quality.

Third, I called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to commit to holding a hearing within 90 days of receiving a nomination. A firm deadline is the best way to ensure that judicial nominees are promptly considered. And 90 days is more than enough time for the committee to conduct necessary research before holding a hearing, as Democrat senators have recognized in the past.

Finally, I called on the full Senate to commit to an up-or-down floor vote on each nominee no later than 180 days after the nomination is submitted. This is a very generous period of time that will allow all senators to evaluate nominees and have their votes counted.

My proposals are fair to all parties and would apply regardless of who is President or which party controls the Senate.

The current state of affairs is not merely another round of political wrangling. It is a disturbing failure to meet a responsibility under the Constitution, and it is harming the administration of justice in America. Our country deserves better, the process can work better and we can make it better. The Constitution has given us a shared duty, and we must meet that duty together.

Thank you for listening.

END

[Salvation]

For your infomation. All comments welcomed.

[Salvation]

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Salvation

[Salvation]

Sorry this is late. I just got back from a weekend visit to Chicago. Got to it ASAP!

[MountainYankee]

Hopefully, the results of the elections on 11/5 will give GW a Senate that he can work with and break this log jam. Vote for GW's endorsements and give him the tools.

[WOSG]

Reason #8 To Vote Republican in every U.S. Senate Race!

[WOSG]

Why you should vote Repblican in every uS Senate race:

1. Make permanent the Bush tax cuts.
2. Support War on Terrorism.
3. Oppose the weasel party - the Democrats - and keep them out of power.
4. Bury the legacy of Paul Wellstoned and the Leftists.
5. Support sane energy policy, including a balance of supply (proANWR, nuclear energy) and demand.
6. Partial birth abortion up for a vote.
7. End the gridlock on homeland security.
8. Get the Bush Judicial nominees voted and approved and end the "borking" of conservative Judges by Liberal special interests.
9. Less government spending and less pork barrelling.
10. End the rule of Dashle, Hillary, Schumer and Kennedy. Support Regime Change in the U.S. Senate!
11. CEDAW - a bad UN-onewroldgovt idea, needs to be killed.


Add your own!

[nicmarlo]

The current state of affairs . . . is a disturbing failure [of Daschole, Leahy, and their ilk] to meet a responsibility under the Constitution, and it is harming the administration of justice in America.

BTTT!

[kayak]

One good bump deserves another ..... :-)

[ChadGore]

WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER

Vote on Tuesday.

Do the right thing.

[upchuck]

Reason #8 To Vote Republican in every U.S. Senate Race!

IMHO, this should be Reason #1.

Judges are appointed for life. Presidents come and go. Dems & Pubbies come and go. Power shifts left, power shifts right. But judges? They're there for life.

This election is ALL ABOUT judgeships!!

We must keep the House and take back the Senate so that conservative judges that believe the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. don't need to be "interpreted" can be appointed.

Truly, the future of our country is riding on this!!!

Dubya gets it. Hopefully, so do you. VOTE ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!

[MeekOneGOP]

This week, I have offered four proposals to break the logjam in Washington and bring the federal courts to full strength.

Speaking of Mr. Logjam, here he is.....

[MeekOneGOP]

I voted on Tuesday.....Texas allows early voting. I voted on Tuesday October 22nd. All GOP too !! :O)

[MeekOneGOP]

Oops ! #11 meant for you too !

[WOSG]

Actually, I agree, IN TERMS OF IMPORTANCE APPROVING BUSH'S CONSERVATIVE JUDGES IS #1 THING TO BE FIXED THIS ELECTION!!!

Here is an excerpt posted from a South Carolina paper's endorsement of Lindsay Graham, Republican running for US Senate there:


"But the most regrettable result has been the refusal of the Democratic-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee to even allow votes on the president's nomination of three qualified judges who happen to be Southern conservatives. A prime example is South Carolina's own U.S. District Judge Dennis Shedd, supported both by Sen. Thurmond and Democrat Sen. Ernest F. Hollings for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The handling of the nomination was so grievous that Sen. Thurmond returned to the Senate floor after his formal farewell to complain bitterly about his ill treatment at the hands of the committee. Specifically he said he had been lied to by the leadership who had promised there would at least be a vote on the Shedd nomination. The votes on the other two conservative nominations were strictly along party lines.

In the larger picture, Mr. Graham makes the point, and it's well taken, that there is one vote on which the senators will always toe the party line. That's the organization of the Senate.

To the winner of that organizational vote, which will come shortly after the election, will go the committee chairmanships and a critical edge. Certainly the Republicans have played the partisan game in the past, but not to the extent we are seeing now on critical judicial nominations.

According to a GOP report, the total tally of Bush appointments confirmed to the district and circuit benches stands at only 61 percent. But that's not the real rub. The more powerful circuit nominations have been caught in a buzz saw. That confirmation rate is just 43 percent. A look back as far as John F. Kennedy's administration by Senate Republican researchers showed that most presidents had more than 90 percent of their nominees confirmed in the first two years, with only one at 82 percent.

[nicmarlo]

Speaking of Mr. Logjam

Ain't he just ugggly though? (Besides all the other bad qualities.....I mean, if you're not going to have a decent and honorable personality, you should at least have looks, lol.)

[MeekOneGOP]

heh heh ! :O)