While the Senator is correct that Democrats did invoke the filibuster against a handful of Bush nominees after losing control of the Senate in 2003, he conveniently fails to mention that his party provoked a constitutional crisis over this, threatening to explode the Senate by detonating a procedural stratagem that members of Senator Cornyn’s party dubbed the “nuclear option,” which would have ended filibusters of judicial nominees.

Perhaps the Justices now wish they had listened to Ms. Halligan.

Whatever Senator Grassley may think about Caitlin Halligan’s substantive qualifications to be a federal judge, he should at least get the numbers right, and be consistent about them.

By Judith E. Schaeffer, Vice President, Constitutional Accountability Center

CAC's President Doug Kendall appeared on Fox News’ Special Report to discuss Republicans’ unprecedented obstruction of President Obama’s judicial nominees and  the impact such obstruction is having on our justice system:

By Brooke C. Obie, Online Communications Director

by Judith E. Schaeffer, Vice President, Constitutional Accountability Center

The ever-escalating war over executive and judicial branch confirmations is often associated with big-picture ideological battles over the meaning of our Constitution and the direction of the nation’s highly influential appeals courts.  Rarely do we consider how such fights -- often waged using procedural tricks like holds and filibusters -- directly affect Americans seeking justice in courts around the country.  Yet a clear illustration of the negative impacts of obstructionism over nominees has emerged in our own backyard at the D.C.