Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016--Conference Report--

Floor Speech

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Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, the American public is well aware that there is a vacancy on our U.S. Supreme Court and, in addition, that there is obstruction going on in terms of our path to do what the Senate is supposed to do--confirm a President's nomination to the Supreme Court. Because it is the Supreme Court, because that term has come to an end and we have seen a number of 4-to-4 ties, because of the consequence and the gravity of what it is that the Supreme Court does, that has garnered a lot of attention. It has resulted in the calling for the Republicans in the Senate to do their job, to not obfuscate and declare that they won't hold hearings or won't schedule a vote on President Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland. As a consequence, that vacancy may persist for well over a year when all is said and done.

I rise today to draw attention to the fact that that is not the only judicial vacancy we have here in the United States of America. We currently have 83 vacancies in the Federal courts, and 29 of those vacancies have been declared judicial emergencies, meaning that the continuing vacancy has caused serious problems and concerns, so they are deemed judicial emergencies.

Currently, because of the work that has been done by individual Senators, consulting with the President, and what the President has done in terms of forwarding nominees to the Senate so that we can exercise our role of advice and consent, so we can hold votes on confirmations, and because of the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee, currently there are 24 judicial nominees on the Executive Calendar. All of them--every one of them--have garnered majority support of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to advance to the Executive Calendar. Every one of them is deserving of a full Senate vote.

I rise to draw attention to one particular vacancy; that is, a vacancy on the Seventh Circuit Court. One of Wisconsin's seats on the Seventh Circuit has been vacant for more than 6\1/2\ years. Let me repeat that. It has been vacant for more than 6\1/2\ years. Currently, and not surprisingly, it is the longest Federal circuit court vacancy in the country. Today marks 2,378 days that this circuit court seat has been vacant.

The people of Wisconsin and our neighbors in Illinois and Indiana deserve a fully functioning appeals court. We have a highly qualified nominee who deserves a vote from this body.

Don Schott was nominated by the President on January 12 to fill this Seventh Circuit Court vacancy. He has strong bipartisan support. Both Senator Johnson and I have returned our blue slips. Bipartisan majorities of the Wisconsin judicial nominating commission have given their support to Don Schott and have voted to advance his nomination, a bipartisan group of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance his nomination, and a bipartisan group of former Wisconsin bar presidents support him. Don Schott has the experience, qualifications, and temperament to be an outstanding Federal judge. He was rated unanimously ``well qualified'' by the American Bar Association. In talking to people in Wisconsin about this nomination, I have heard only tremendous praise for Don Schott.

This nomination deserves a vote. As such, I rise today to urge the majority leader, the Republican leader, to schedule a vote on Don Schott, as well as all of the other judicial nominees who are on the Executive Calendar. The American people deserve a fully functioning Federal judiciary.

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