Alert

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor yesterday and took Senate Democrats to task for repeatedly obstructing the confirmation process for several of the president’s well-qualified judicial nominees. He urged his Senate colleagues to quickly confirm the pending federal judicial nominations, and specifically made the case for the confirmation of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras

Following are excerpts from Blunt’s remarks:

“We're, this week, moving to confirm four circuit judges, and it's a good week because of that. Talk about the judiciary, the critical role the judiciary plays, and actually the unique power that our Constitution gave the courts to do the job that they were supposed to do. They were to provide a check and balance on the other two co-equal branches of government, the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch. The federal judiciary is most importantly to provide Americans with a avenue to seek the rule of law, an avenue to know that you're going to be impacted by what the law says and what the Constitution says. It is a fundamental right of how we conduct ourselves, how we seek justice, how people should be able to make decisions about their family and about their business and about their financial future as well as their personal future. …”

“At the start of President Trump's term, 12 percent of all the positions in the federal judiciary were vacant. The Congressional Research Service found that not since President Clinton took office, has a president had the Constitutional obligation to fill more judicial vacancies at the start of his term than President Trump. I certainly believe he made the right choice when he selected Judge Gorsuch to serve on the court. I have been enthusiastic about the other judges that he has nominated, including the four that we've had a chance to talk about and will continue to have a chance to talk about this week. I think President Trump will continue to nominate judges that will, first of all, pay attention to the Constitution and what it says, that will apply the rule of law, and will not legislate from the bench. …”

“The rules allow 30 hours of debate when there's really going to be a debate. Last week, we had 30 hours of debate on a judge. Twenty minutes were spent talking about that judge, in support of him. Zero spent opposing that judge. But 30 hours that could have been used for other purposes was gone. And, frankly, I think that's the reason the 30 hours was demanded, so the other work of the Senate has to be set aside so that we can do the equally important work of letting the president put people in vacant positions that need to be filled. And that 30 hours will be changed if the minority continues to abuse it. It's happened in the entire history of the Senate. But that's what happens when you abuse these rules that protect you and give you rights. …”

“There is one nominee in the Eight District, the district, again, that Missouri is in, where a Minnesota Supreme Cour Justice, David Stras, has had his nomination held up. … The American Bar Association has said Justice Stras is well qualified, its very highest rating. He received his bachelor's degree with the highest distinction from the University of Kansas, another state in this circuit. His M.B.A. from the University of Kansas. His law degree from the University of Kansas. He clerked on the U. S. Supreme Court before practicing law and teaching at the University of Minnesota. And not only was he appointed to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Minnesota, but he was elected. In fact, he was elected and got more votes than the person who's holding his nomination got when he was elected to that job. So I just urge my colleagues to not only support his nomination, but to do what we need to do to get these nominees to the floor. ”

, whose nomination to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Missouri, has been stalled.

CLICK HERE To Watch Senator Blunt’s Full Remarks