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LETTER: GOP obstruction
Regardless of one’s reaction to your Dec. 27 editorial, “The case of Newt vs. the courts,” everyone should agree that the Senate is already harming federal courts in Florida and nationwide. Justice delayed is justice denied, as Senate obstruction has resulted in an unprecedented lack of federal judges.
Unexplained and unjustifiable objections by unnamed Senate Republicans repeatedly have blocked floor votes on consensus judicial nominees with home-state senator support. Sixteen of these were approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee, including Florida’s federal district court Judge Adalberto Jordán, whose 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals nomination would fill a vacancy the courts have decided is a judicial emergency.
After the Senate left until late January, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee said of his state’s nominee: “There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t have confirmed him before we got out.”
Florida Sens. Marco Rubio (R) and Bill Nelson (D) should work with Sen. Lee to ensure floor votes for Judge Jordán and other committee-approved judicial nominees.
(Since 2001, I have headed the environmental community’s Judging the Environment project on federal judicial nominations.)
— GLENN SUGAMELI
Staff Attorney
Judging the Environment
Washington, D.C.
