Washington — For the fourth time this year, Senate Republicans rejected the nomination of another qualified nominee to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. In response, CAP Action President Tom Perriello issued the following statement:
The function of our federal courts should depend on the rule of law, not political games. The unprecedented decision by Senate Republicans to filibuster all three of President Barack Obama’s current nominees to our nation’s second-most important court scores cheap partisan points at the expense of a fully functioning judicial branch that rules on the issues—from the environment to women’s health to workers’ rights—that matter to all Americans.
Senate Republicans have admitted that their obstructionist votes to keep the D.C. Circuit nearly 30 percent vacant are not based on the merits of the nominees. It is clear that these filibusters amount to political games and are part of the right’s plan to govern by nullification and shut down the government from the inside.
We need policymakers to work together immediately to fulfill the minimal obligations they have promised the people, namely their constitutional duty to advise and consent on the nomination of federal judges. Because Republicans have abused the rules of the Senate, leadership should embrace reform that will stop a minority of the Senate from continuing to disable our government.
To speak with experts on this issue, please contact Madeline Meth at [email protected] or 202.741.6277.
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