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Congress is now in its August recess, with many members taking little time for vacation as they campaign for the November elections. Neither party has reason to solicit voter support based on its handling of President Bush's judicial nominations. Part I of our "Scorecard" focuses on some of the more significant statistics revealing how poorly both political parties have performed.
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Current Nominations Status
| Current Vacancies | Nominees |
| Total | = 79 | 50 |
| Courts of Appeals | = 27 | 19 |
| District Courts | = 52 | 31 |
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Current vacancies declared "judicial emergencies" because of duration and caseload |
| Total | = 31 |
| Nominees | = 22 |
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Bush Nomination Record, 2001-2002 |
| Total Nominees | = 122 |
| Confirmed | = 72 |
| Courts of Appeals | = 13 |
| District Courts | = 59 |
| Rejected | = 1 (Court of Appeals) |
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Hearings for Pending Nominations |
| Had hearing | = 12 (24%) |
| No hearing | = 38 (78%) |
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Action on first Bush nominees (named 5/11/01) |
| Number | = 11 |
| Confirmed | = 3 |
| No hearing to date | = 6 |
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This record is especially dismal when we consider the records of past Senates in their handling of judicial nominations:
Confirmation Data for first 11 Courts of Appeals Nominees: Reagan-Bush II
- The previous three presidents had 100% confirmation rate for their first eleven Court of Appeals nominees; the average time from nomination to confirmation was:
- Reagan: 39 days
- Bush I: 88 days
- Clinton: 115 days
- Max: 199 days
- Average: 81 days
- Bush II: As noted above, 8 of the current nominees have had no action on the Senate floor, although they were named 15 months ago
- Percentage of first year Court of Appeals nominees confirmed:
- Clinton: 61%
- Bush I: 70%
- Reagan: 92%
- Bush II: 30%
ACTION ITEMS
- WHILE YOUR SENATORS ARE HOME DURING THE AUGUST RECESS, LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE OBSTRUCTIONISM IN FEDERAL JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS.
- OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION-AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO LIKEWISE-ON THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:
- MAKE FEDERAL JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS AND REFORM THE CENTRAL ISSUE OF THE 2002 ELECTIONS THAT THEY DESERVE TO BE!
- WATCH FOR PART II OF OUR "JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS SCORECARD"
NOTE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES IN COURT WATCH'S CONTACT INFORMATION:
Snail mail: PMB 190, 2438 Industrial Blvd., Abilene, TX 79606
Phone: 325-673-3020
Personal Note: Throughout this summer, Court Watch has benefited immeasurably from the services of our very first Court Watch intern, MarJoe Bibgee. She has performed not only routine office duties, but has produced invaluable research data on our CW reform plans and also a "Legal Research for Laymen" guide which will soon be available to you. Next week, MarJoe returns to her second year at the Baylor Law School; and we will miss her greatly. We express our deepest appreciation to her and wish her God's richest blessings as she continues her education.
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Eagle Forum
