Crapo: Estrada Nomination Deserves A Vote

Washington, DC â?? Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will support Miguel Estrada, the Presidentâ??s judicial nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Estradaâ??s nomination has been met with intense opposition by most Senate Democrats, who are threatening to filibuster the nomination. If the minority achieves a filibuster, it will be the first time in Senate history that a filibuster has been carried out on a circuit court nomination. In fact, other than the 1968 bipartisan filibuster of Abe Fortasâ??s nomination to be Chief Justice of the United States, the Senate has never used a filibuster to block a judicial nominee to any court.â??Mr. Estrada epitomizes the American dream,â?? Crapo said. â??He immigrated from Honduras to the United States as a teenager and, through hard work and determination, has risen to the top of law studies and practice in the United States. He is qualified in every way to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; his nomination deserves a vote on the Senate floor. A filibuster is a blatant, inexcusable obstruction of the process that has been used to confirm or reject judicial nominees for over two hundred years.â?? Miguel Estrada was nominated by President Bush on May 9, 2001, and has been subject to extensive scrutiny and debate since that time. The Senate began debate on the nomination last week, nearly 19 months after the nomination. Senate rules dictate that an end to debate must be called for and agreed to by all Senators before a vote can occur. A filibuster frustrates this process by not allowing an end to debate, and in turn, a vote to occur on a Senate action. # # #