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A joint project tracking federal judicial nominations and courts.



 

Press Release

 

Pres. Bush Has Opportunity to Start Over on Judicial Nominees

E. Duncan Getchell’s withdrawal from nomination for 4th Circuit seat gives Bush chance to stop playing politics and start respecting Senate’s “Advice and Consent” role in selecting lifetime judges

January 22, 2008

Contact:

 Glenn Sugameli, Earthjustice (202) 667-4500

E.
E. Duncan Getchell
Washington, DC--

E. Duncan Getchell, Jr. has withdrawn his nomination to a lifetime seat on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. President Bush previously rejected a bipartisan list of five names that Virginia Senators John Warner (R) and Jim Webb (D) recommended for two Virginia 4th Circuit vacancies, and tapped Getchell, whom the Senators had jointly interviewed and refused to endorse.

The following statement is from Glenn Sugameli, Senior Legislative Counsel for Earthjustice:

"President Bush decided to use Getchell and other pending Circuit court nominees as political pawns who were chosen because they will not be confirmed by the Senate. By deliberately creating artificial vacancies, President Bush is inflaming his right-wing base through unjustifiable 'obstructionist' charges against Senators who have confirmed the vast majority of Bush judicial nominees.

"Over and over, President Bush has gone out of his way to select nominees with extreme records and to antagonize Republican and Democratic senators who take their Constitutional 'advise and consent' role seriously. If President Bush wants to stop playing politics and start filling vacancies, he should withdraw his other controversial nominees and start listening to advice from Democratic and Republican Senators on mainstream, confirmable nominees."

Glenn Sugameli has headed Earthjustice's Judging the Environment project since 2001. For more information, visit www.judgingtheenvironment.org