Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Long Overdue Vote to Confirm Restrepo, Urges an End to Obstruction of Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the confirmation of federal judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Restrepo is only the second circuit court nominee confirmed during the 114th Congress:
“Today’s historic confirmation of Judge Luis Restrepo is welcome news, but it’s also emblematic of the unconscionable delays that Senate leadership is forcing highly qualified nominees to endure while the number of judicial vacancies – and judicial emergencies – skyrockets, diminishing the ability of our federal courts to dispense justice.
Restrepo, who was unanimously confirmed to a district court seat in 2013, was nominated for a seat on the Third Circuit in November 2014 with the bipartisan support of his two home-state senators in Pennsylvania. Yet his nomination was subjected to repeated delays and slow-walking, including by Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, who despite his stated support for the nomination was complicit in blocking a confirmation hearing for Restrepo for several months. Today’s vote ends a 426-day confirmation process that should have wrapped up in a few short months.
This congress should get the lowest of low marks for its disdain of the justice system and its obstinate refusal to confirm good judges. We call on the Senate – and particularly Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – to make the normal processing of judicial nominees a priority again so that vacancies can be filled in a timely manner so that people and businesses can have their day in court. This obstruction must end for the good of our justice system – and to continue to attract talented legal minds to public service.”
Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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