Litigation

JAS Joins Letter Urging Action on Court Picks

By Charlie Hall

Justice at Stake is one of 76 groups to sign a letter to U.S. Senate leaders urging faster action on federal judicial nominees, according to a news release, which warned that “obstructionist practices” in the Senate had reached a “state of crisis.”

The full text of the letter, sent to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), is available here. According to the release, Deanna Dawson, director of federal affairs for Justice at Stake, said:

?Our federal courts are overburdened like never before. Judicial emergencies mean that deadlines for bringing criminal defendants to trial are extended, and that crime victims must wait for justice. In civil cases, the judicial vacancy crisis means that many litigants must wait for as long as three years for their cases to be heard. Justice delayed can mean justice denied, and the real victims in the judicial confirmation wars are the Americans who turn to the courts for justice.?

The letter  noted that 101 federal judgeships are currently vacant, and that many nominees had been stalled by secret holds and other blocking tactics. To see Justice at Stake’s web page on federal court nominations, click here. To see earlier Gavel Grab stories, click here.

Full post as published by The Gavel on February 16, 2011 (boomark / email).