In “Obama getting fewer judges confirmed than [any president since] Nixon” (The Daily Progress, Sept. 7), Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., absurdly blamed the lack of confirmed judges on “Obama, who nominated just 33 people to judgeships in 2009, and Reid, who controls the Senate calendar.” In fact, unprecedented Senate Republican blanket, secret holds are denying floor votes to many Judiciary Committee-approved judicial nominees.
Federal court access has suffered as vacancies have soared to more than 100. Frozen nominees include John A. Gibney Jr. (Virginia district court) and Albert Diaz (4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Virginia). Both were OK’d in committee without dissent months ago for vacancies that the U.S. courts have declared “judicial emergencies,” emergencies that have risen from 20 to 49.
Glenn Sugameli is staff attorney for Judging the Environment, Defenders of Wildlife, and has headed the Judging the Environment judicial nominations project since 2001.
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