MARTINEZ: JUDICIAL NOMINEES DESERVE AN UP OR DOWN VOTE

From Mel Martinez:

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) today said he was hopeful the Senate could find a way to work together to give judicial nominees an up-or-down vote and end the unprecedented filibusters of nominees.

At a press conference today with other freshman Senators to urge that judicial nominees be given an up or down vote, Martinez said:

“On January 4th, I was sworn in as Florida’s 33rd Senator, and I am so proud to be able to represent Floridians in the U.S. Senate.

“As part of my duties as Senator, according to the Constitution, I have the obligation to provide ‘advise and consent’ on judicial nominees. I am unable to fulfill this duty when qualified judicial nominees are denied the opportunity for an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

“I have not been a part of the partisan struggles of the last 12 years, and I know there is a lot of water under the bridge on both sides regarding judicial nominees. But I think we need to put the partisanship behind us and look at ways to resolve this in a way that doesn’t exacerbate the partisan atmosphere of the Senate even further. We need to do a better job of working together to do the people’s business.

“However, as I traveled the highways and byways of Florida, one of the issues I heard about time and time again was that people wanted to see judges confirmed. I promised I would fight for up-or-down votes for all judicial nominees. I am still hopeful that we can come together, but I will vote if necessary to end the unprecedented filibustering of judicial nominees from having their vote on the Senate floor.

“It is an integral part of maintaining a high-caliber judiciary that nominees are treated fairly and with respect. If we continue down this path and leave nominees in limbo for years – as has become common practice – we will be unable to recruit high-level attorneys to leave private practice and serve our federal judiciary. These people deserve their vote on the Senate floor.”