To:InterestedParties

From:WhyCourtsMatterIowa,WhyCourtsMatterFlorida,NevadansforJudicialProgress,Why
CourtsMatterTexas
Date:August4,2015
RE:HISTORICOBSTRUCTIONPREVENTINGJUSTICEFORAMERICANS

SenatorChuckGrassley,GOPPresidentialcandidatesobstructingjudicialnominees

WhenSenatorGrassleytookthereignsoftheJudiciaryCommitteeinJanuary,therewasmuchreason
foroptimism.Grassleyhasareputationforbipartisanship,andtheabilitytogetworkdoneinan
increasinglydysfunctionalWashington.Asevidenceofhisreputation,herecentlyscoredverywellina
GeorgetownstudyidentifyingthemostbipartisanSenators.Unfortunately,hisreputationof
bipartisanshiphasnotextendedtotheJudiciaryCommittee.Therateofconfirmationsonjudicial
nominationshasslowedtoasnailspace,theworstsince1953,accordingtothe
AllianceforJustice.

AmongthesenatorsrunningforPresident,onlySenatorBernieSandershasnojudicialvacanciesinhis
homestate.ThefourotherSenatorsrunning,allRepublicans,haveacombined17vacancies,meaning
theirconstituentshavewaitedthousandsofdaysforjustice.

ToomanyAmericansareawaitingtheirdayincourtbecauseoftheobstructionofjudicialnominees.
Justicedelayedisjusticedenied,andfartoomanyAmericansareawaitingtheirdayincourt.This
memoanalyzesthehistoricdelaysinjudicialconfirmationscausedbySenatorGrassleyandevery
currentU.S.SenatorrunningforPresident.

KeyFindings:

Thenumberofjudgesconfirmedisatanhistoriclowundertheobstructionistleadershipof
SenatorChuckGrassleyandthesenatorsrunningforPresident.Just5judgeshavebeen
confirmedin2015,farbehindthepaceofpastPresidenciesintheirseventhyear.
FoursittingsenatorsrunningforPresidenthaveacombined17judicialvacanciesintheirhome
states.12ofthosevacancieshavebeendeclaredemergencies,meaningAmericansarewaiting
fortheirdayincourt.OnesittingsenatorrunningforPresidenthasnovacanciesinhisstate,
andnojudicialemergenciespending.Whilethejudicialselectionprocessvariesineachstate,
thecollectivevacanciesarealarminglyhigh.
Americanshavebeenwaitingatotalof28,533daysforjudicialappointmentstobefilledacross
thecountry.Theobstructionofjudgesishavinganimpactontheirlives.

Historicobstructionofjudicialnominees

Thisyear'sjudicialnominationshaveslowedtoahistoricallyslowpace.Thechartbelowdetailsthe
numberofjudicialconfirmationsduringthelasttwoyearsofPresidenciessince1959.Senator
Grassley'sfailedleadershipisevidentinthenumbers,asistheobstructionbyhisSenatecolleagues.

Atcurrentpace,thisSenatewouldconfirmonly20judgesduringPresidentObama'slasttwoyears.
Evenifthatpacedoublesto40confirmations,itwouldstillbetheleastconfirmationsinaPresidents
finaltwoyearssince19591960,whenPresidentEisenhowerwasinoffice.

President

Years

SenateMajorityParty

JudgesConfirmed

BarackObama*(D)

2015

Republican

GeorgeW.Bush*(R)

200708

Democratic

68

BillClinton*(D)

19992000

Republican

73

GeorgeH.W.Bush(R)

199192

Democratic

122

RonaldReagan*(R)

198788

Democratic

85

JimmyCarter(D)

197980

Democratic

198

GeraldFord(R)

197576

Democratic

48

LyndonJohnson(D)

196768

Democratic

60

DwightEisenhower*(R)

195960

Democratic

44

*IndicatesPresidentservedeightyears
[Source:
AllianceforJustice
]

TherecordofPresidentialcandidatesonjudicialvacanciesandnominees

U.S.Senatorsaretraditionallygivengreatdeferencewhenselectingjudicialnominees.They
recommendnomineestothePresident,andthenominationsdonotmoveforwardwithoutthesupport
ofbothhomestateSenators.AmongthefivesittingsenatorsrunningforPresident,onlyBernie
Sanders(DVT)hasnojudicialvacanciesoremergenciesinhishomestate.Theotherfourhavea
combined17vacanciesand12judicialemergencies,meaningtheirconstituentsareexperiencing
unnecessarydelaysincourt.Whilethejudicialselectionprocessvariesineachstateandpopulation
dictatesthenumberofjudgesineachstate,thecollectivevacanciesarealarminglyhigh.

Senator

Current
Vacancies

Vacancies
Currentjudicial
withoutnominees
emergencies

TedCruz(RTX)

7,057

MarcoRubio(RFL)

1,385

RandPaul(RKY)

2,561

LindseyGraham(RSC)

1,421

BernieSanders(DVT)

TOTAL

17

15

12

12,424

[Source:
AllianceforJustice
]

Totaldays
vacant

Americanshavewaitedtoolongforjustice

Thereare67vacanciesacrossthecountry,including31judicialemergenciesaccordingto
uscourts.gov
,thathavebeenwaitingforaJudgeforatotalof28,533days,accordingtothe
Alliancefor
Justice
.17ofthosevacanciesareinthehomestateofGOPPresidentialcandidates,andtheir
constituentshavebeenwaiting12,424daysfortheirdayincourt.

Thedelayshavegoneonlongenough.Thevacancieshavebeenleftunfilledlongenough.The
obstructionintheSenatehasreachedacrisispoint,andeverysenator,particularlyJudiciaryChair
ChuckGrassleyandthesenatorsrunningforPresident,havearesponsibilitytoprovideaccessto
justicefortheirconstituentsandallAmericans.Itispasttimefortheobstructiontostop,andforjudicial
nomineestomoveforward.