Civil and Human Rights Coalition Calls on Senate to Stop Playing Politics with Judicial Nominations

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement following President Obama’s nomination Tuesday of Myra C. Selby and Donald K. Schott to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:

“We commend President Obama’s continuing dedication to the important work of filling critical vacancies on our federal courts. For the past year the Senate Republican majority has delayed and obstructed the confirmation of highly qualified judicial nominees, demonstrated by its abysmal performance of confirming only 11 judges in 2015, the lowest total in more than half a century. As a result, the number of judicial vacancies and judicial emergencies continues to grow, causing people and businesses to wait even longer to have their disputes heard and resolved.

Blocking judicial nominations may delight right-wing ideologues – like Heritage Action, which is calling for the Senate to stop confirming judges altogether until a new president takes office more than a year from now – but it would seriously damage the judicial system and be an irresponsible abdication of the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on nominees. It’s time for Senate Republicans to stop playing politics with justice and return to the bipartisan tradition of considering judicial nominations in a timely fashion.”

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.