AFJ Calls on the Senate to End Unwarranted Filibuster and Confirm Caitlin Halligan

Washington, D.C., December 5, 2011—Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron issued the following statement on the upcoming cloture vote in the United States Senate on the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:

“Caitlin Halligan is a highly qualified, widely respected attorney and public servant who deserves an affirmative vote in the Senate on her nomination to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. It’s a measure of how contentious and dysfunctional the confirmation process has become for judicial nominees that someone with such impeccable credentials and widespread support is compelled to run the gauntlet of a completely unwarranted filibuster. Republicans are deliberately creating controversy where none exists in order to score political points with their most extreme supporters and are violating principles on the use of the filibuster that many within the party advocated during the last administration.

Ms. Halligan’s record in private practice, public service, and academia places her well within the legal mainstream, a fact reinforced by the bipartisan praise she has received from a broad spectrum of lawyers, law enforcement personnel, and conservative colleagues with whom she has worked. Senators should reject the Republican leadership’s tactics of delay and extreme partisanship, end the filibuster, and move quickly to confirm this superbly qualified woman to a seat on the understaffed and enormously important D.C. Circuit, which currently has three vacancies and almost 1,300 cases pending. Caitlin Halligan deserves fairness and respect from the Senate, and so do the American people who increasingly cannot find justice in a judicial system hobbled by political intransigence.” 

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Alliance for Justice is the leading provider of information on judicial nominations.  For the most accurate, up-to-date information on the judicial selection process, visit the Alliance for Justice’s Judicial Selection page, which contains data on Nominees Pending on the Senate Floor, a list of Vacancies Without Nominees, our Judicial Selection Calendar, and our Judicial Selection Snapshot.

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Alliance for Justice is a national association of over 100 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society. AFJ works to ensure that the federal judiciary advances core constitutional values, preserves human rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans. It is the leading expert on the legal framework for nonprofit advocacy efforts, providing definitive information, resources, and technical assistance that encourages organizations and their funding partners to fully exercise their right to be active participants in the democratic process. AFJ is based in Washington, D.C.