Posted on 12/03/2001 5:36:09 AM PST by PhiKapMom
Some newspapers and radio talk shows across the Country have started recognizing that Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is holding President Bush's Judicial nominations hostage. If you search enough, most likely you will find daschle/clinton behind this hostage of nominations. It is time Freepers put more pressure on the Obstructionists DemocRAT Senators to get these nominations confirmed. We need to ask our friends/family and the print/radio/TV media to join us in this effort!
Background on Judicial Nominations Held Hostage:
Thomas Jipping of the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative group, reports that four of the 12 full-time positions on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit are empty. He writes, "When President Clinton was in office, Democrats demanded that they all be filled. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., for example, said in March 1997 that 'the D.C. Circuit needs 12 judges to handle its complex caseload.' Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., now Judiciary Committee chairman, said then that 'numbers do not tell the whole story.'"
Jipping and other court analysts say the D.C. circuit, arguably the most important appeals court because of the case docket it manages, needs only 11 members. So, based on the Democrats' own past analysis, there should be bipartisan agreement that the court needs at least three more members beyond the eight judges already serving. Yet as Jipping said in a recent column, "Democrats who once demanded it be full are blocking two superbly qualified nominees. President Bush nominated John Roberts and Miguel Estrada to fill two of these vacancies more than six months ago. Neither has even received a hearing."
Of Bush's 64 nominees for district and circuit courts, only 27 have received a hearing, and only 18 have been confirmed. Here's what's unprecedented, Jipping said: "The Senate confirms an average of 72 percent of a new president's first-year nominees in the first year. This year, the Senate has confirmed just 28 percent." Both the delayed D.C. appeals judges have outstanding legal experience. Even the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Judiciary, infamous for knifing conservative nominees during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and the elder George Bush, found both Estrada and Roberts "well qualified" for the court.
The delay in consideration of these two nominees is deliberate and, as Jipping notes, "These are just two of the many outstanding nominees President Bush has sent to the Senate. Democrats who once whined about vacancies, crying that 'judges delayed is justice denied,' should do their constitutional duty and confirm them." From The Daily Oklahoman editorial, 30 November 2001
TARGET #1 -- SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY, CHAIRMAN OF JUDICIARY COMMITTEE (D-VT) :
Today marks the beginning of our Freeper activism threads to get these Judicial nominations moving and we need all of your HELP.
Our first Senatorial TARGET is Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Judiciary and one-time Chairman of the Intelligence Committee from which he was removed from in the mid 80's after leaking classified information to a reporter. Not exactly someone who should be heading the Judiciary Committee, but thanks to Jeffords he is now the Chairman. Below you will find information on Leahy:
Excerpts from his website at: leahy.senate.gov
In his fifth term in the Senate, Patrick Leahy remains the only Democrat elected to this office from Vermont and the youngest Senator ever to be elected from the Green Mountain State. Leahy has crusaded for the protection of privacy rights, copyright protections and freedom of speech on the Internet.
Always ranked among the top environmental legislators by the nation's foremost conservation organizations, Leahy successfully opposed attempts to allow oil and gas exploration in wildlife refuges in the United States, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. He played a crucial role in enactment and implementation of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. End of excerpt from Biography!
Here is a quote from his Press Release of 14 November 2001 -- "There has been no formal declaration of war, and in the meantime, our civilian courts remain open and available to try suspected terrorists. All this raises questions about whether the President can lawfully authorize the use of military commissions to try persons arrested here."
No mention is made of Judicial nominations/US Attorney nominationson his website but he does attack President Bush and his use of military tribunals for non-US citizen terrorists. Now is the time for two questions to Senator Leahy:
1. Ask him why he is holding up these nominations!
2. Ask him how he can possibly talk of trying terrorists in civil court when he won't approve President Bush's Judicial nominations!
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Quote from Senator Leahy: I am always interested in knowing what Vermonters have to say about major issues and federal legislation. Contact me at any of my three offices, or send an email or letter to my Washington office.
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
or
http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html
433 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BLDG, WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4242
Since Senator Leahy is quoted as saying he wants Vermonters to let him know what they think, then as Chairman of the Judiciary, he should be interested in what ALL Americans have to say!
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE:
224 Dirksen Building, Washington, DC 20510
ph:(202) 224-7703; fax:(202) 224-9516
Following is a list of nominations scheduled to be heard on December 5th by the Committee:
Wednesday, December 5, 2001
10:00 a.m., Senate Dirksen Building, Room 226
Callie V. Granade to be U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Alabama; Marcia S. Krieger to be U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Colorado; James C. Mahan to be U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Nevada; Philip R. Martinez to be U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Texas; C. Ashley Royal to be U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Georgia
Mauricio J. Tamargo to be Chair of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States
NOTE: Five hearings scheduled for nominated judges each month seem to be the standard for Leahy's Judicial Committee! That leaves many nominations that have had no hearings and none are scheduled. Ironically Leahy has found the time to criticize the President on military tribunals and hold hearings. Now Leahy needs to be reminded by all of us that one of his primary jobs is to schedule hearings to confirm the President of the United States' Judicial nominations without regard to political ideology.
1. CONTACT PATRICK LEAHY NOW! DON'T DELAY! -- FREE PHONE CALL TO SENATE:
2. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF YOUR LOCAL PAPER ABOUT THE PARTISAN TACTICS BEING USED BY SENATOR LEAHY IN HOLDING PRESIDENT BUSH'S NOMINATIONS HOSTAGE! DEMAND HE CEASE AND DESIST AND SCHEDULE HEARINGS!
3. CALL RADIO TALK SHOWS ABOUT SENATOR LEAHY HOLDING PRESIDENT BUSH'S NOMINATIONS HOSTAGE!
If you have a very large barf bag ready the entire transcript can be found at this place. I couldn't read much of it. Daschle really is a disgusting midget.
Would be interesting to find out who in KC is helping with the fundraising. The local DNC or private donations? MR. RUSSERT: Now, the Republicans are pointing to this, and I’ll put it on the screen. They say that, “But Republicans pointed out yesterday that Mr. Daschle is scheduled to take part in a multistate fund- raising tour the week of Dec. 10. The trip...will stop in Kansas City, Mo.; Detroit; California’s Silicon Valley; San Francisco; and Los Angeles.” And Republican leader Tom DeLay had this to say: “Senator Daschle is willing to derail vital pieces of the national agenda in an effort to clear the Senate calendar for a Democratic fundraising trip. ...America is at war, both at home and abroad...Our economy officially entered a recession and Daschle refuses to pass an economic stimulus plan. Our country is dependent on foreign oil and Daschle refuses to pass an energy security bill. Scientists are playing God by cloning human embryos and Daschle refuses to respond.”
Will you cancel your fund-raising trip December 10th stay here in Washington to work on these issues?
SEN. DASCHLE: Absolutely, Tim. That was—we all thought we’d be out of session by now.
MR. RUSSERT: So it’s canceled?
SEN. DASCHLE: Absolutely. We’re not planning to do any long fund-raising tour because we’re going to be in session. We’ll be in session every day during that week because it is important for us, so we’ve got to address these issues........
Thanks, Snow Bunny, for the anti-Daschle/Leahy/Commie obstructionists/traitors ping. (^:
LOL
Dear Senator Leahy:
As Chairman of the Judicial Committee, you are obstructing the confirmation process of President Bush's nominations. I find this reprehensible and irresponsible and I urge you to put your partisan bias aside and act in the best interests of all Americans.
Also stop wasting time holding hearings on Military Tribunals. Americans approve of the job being done by AG John Ashcroft and his handling of Terrorists by almost 70% according to the latest polls.
You are creating the impression that America is divided on this issue and that can only help those terrorist organizations we are trying to identify and destroy.
Americans need to stand together now for our national war effort and personal security. You are creating the impression that Democrats are more concerned about the rights of foreign terrorists than the lives of their fellow Americans.
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