Harry Reid’s Double-Standard On Hispanic Judicial Nominees

Wednesday, 03 June 2009 00:00

NRSC Calls On Reid To Explain Contradictory Comments To Nevadans

WASHINGTON ? In the wake of U.S. Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid?s (D-NV) stunning admission yesterday that he had no intention of reading even a single one of Judge Sonia Sotomayor?s roughly 3,000 judicial opinions over her 17 year career, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said today that Senator Reid owes his constituents ? and particularly Hispanics in Nevada ? an explanation for applying what appears to be a clear double-standard towards Hispanic judicial nominees.

?Senator Reid has a Constitutional obligation to judge every judicial nominee in a fair and impartial manner, without the infection of partisan politics.? Yet, when you compare Reid?s statements and actions on Sonia Sotomayor versus Miguel Estrada, it?s clear that partisan politics are motivating Senator Reid?s actions on judicial nominations,? said NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh.?

In 2003, Senator Reid was among those who led the successful filibuster of Miguel Estrada, a Hispanic judicial nominee to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.? Estrada, who received a ?well-qualified? rating from the American Bar Association, came to the United States as a teenager from Honduras, learned English, succeeded in school and ultimately graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986. He went on to practice constitutional law and argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court.

Yet, in numerous statements announcing his intention to block Miguel Estrada?s nomination, Senator Reid cited Estrada?s lack of written legal opinions, which Reid and his Democrat colleagues claimed would allow them to understand his judicial philosophy and therefore, allow them to judge his nomination.?

Yesterday, however, Senator Reid announced his absolute endorsement of Judge Sotomayor while at the same time, admitting that he had not read any of her legal opinions and had no intention of reading them.? (See video of Senator Reid?s comments here)?

?After his statement yesterday that he had no intention of reading even a single one of Judge Sotomayor?s judicial opinions, Senator Reid owes his constituents in Nevada a simple explanation to a simple question ? why is he applying a double standard on Hispanic judicial nominees?? Walsh asked.?

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BACKGROUND ON SENATOR REID?S STATEMENTS ON SOTOMAYOR

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID (D-NV) YESTERDAY MORNING: ???Everyone in America, I want them to understand that we have the whole package here,? Reid said, listing Sotomayor's academic and professional background. ?If that wasn't enough, her background is very significant ? we could not have anyone better qualified.?? (?Harry Reid Meets With 'Underdog' Sonia Sotomayor,? Politico, 06/02/09)

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID (D-NV) YESTERDAY AFTERNOON: ?I understand that during her career, she's written hundreds and hundreds of opinions.??I haven't read a single one of them, and if I'm fortunate before we end this, I won't have to read one of them.? (?Reid?s Not Reading,? Politico 6/2/09)?
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BACKGROUND ON SENATOR REID?S STATEMENTS ON ESTRADA

Harry Reid And Senate Democrats Complained They Didn?t Know Enough About Miguel Estrada?s Legal Views.? ?In the committee's confirmation hearing last September, 16 months after Estrada's nomination, Democrats complained that they didn't know enough about his legal opinions and did not have a paper trail to which they could refer?.The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Honduran-born Estrada last Thursday on a 10-9 party line vote. If President Bush's nominee is confirmed, making him the first Hispanic on the appeals court, he would also become a top-tier candidate for the Supreme Court, should any of the justices retire?.Reid is said to be working hard to mount Democratic opposition to the Estrada nomination, particularly in Southern states with large Hispanic populations, including Florida.? (?Democrats Plan Filibuster Of Estrada Nomination,? Fox News, February 6, 2003)
Harry Reid On Miguel Estrada: ?We Don?t Know Anything About Estrada, Other Than He?s Smart.? ?He also repeated the Democratic complaint that Estrada has refused to discuss his views on issues that might come before the appeals court. ?We don't know anything about Estrada, other than he's smart,? Reid said.? (Jason Embry, ?Senate Divided On Confirming Judge,? Alameda Times-Star, 2/25/03)

Harry Reid: ?There?s No Reason To Mince Around This, We?re Not Going To Allow An Up Or Down Vote On Miguel Estrada.? With that defiant flourish, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid assumed point-man role in the Senate Democrats' scheme to filibuster a presidential nominee for a federal circuit court judgeship. If Reid has his way, Harvard Law magna cum laude grad Miguel Estrada ? an immigrant who has overcome many obstacles in his life ? will have to overcome yet another: He'll need to win the votes of 60 of the 100 senators, a supermajority, in order to be confirmed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. (Harold Johnson, ?Estrada Deserves Fairness, Not? A Filibuster,? San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/28/03)

Harry Reid Demanded Miguel Estrada Make Available Memorandums From His Work At The Justice Department Before A Final Vote On His Nomination Occurred. ?Democrats insist they will not allow a final vote on Estrada until the Washington lawyer answers more of their questions in a public hearing or the White House releases Estrada's memorandums from his time at the Justice Department solicitor general's office. As a compromise, Frist offered to make Estrada available for a second Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. But Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, said just making Estrada available wasn't enough. ?Until he supplies the memorandum from the solicitor's office, it is not going to change the position of the people on this side of the aisle,? Reid said.? (?Blasting Party Politics, Bush Seeks Judicial Filibuster Ban,? The Associated Press, 3/12/03)

Harry Reid Said Miguel Estrada Was ?Wasting His Time? Unless He Released His Memos From The Justice Department. ?Democrats say both questions are key to his future, but his seeming concessions failed to assuage Democratic opponents. They vow to continue their filibuster until his internal Justice Department memoranda for the solicitor general's office under the Clinton and first Bush administrations are handed over. ?Until he gets the papers [to the Senate], he's wasting his time,? said an annoyed Harry Reid, (Nev.) Democratic whip. ?He should stop writing letters and get us the memos.?? (Sam Dealey, ?Democrats Rebuff Bid By Estrada,? The Hill, 3/19/03)

Harry Reid: ?I Want To Know Mr. Estrada's Views Before Entrusting Him With The Life-Long Job Of Interpreting The Laws . . . .? ?Mr. Estrada is applying for a lifetime job on the federal court that defines the scope of civil rights, women's rights, environmental protections and workers' rights, among other issues. That court will determine the fate of Nevada's lawsuits challenging the President's Yucca Mountain proposal. I want to know if Mr. Estrada will bring an impartial eye to the Yucca cases and the other important cases he would judge. That's my constitutional duty. A parent interviewing a caretaker would want to know that person's views before placing a child in his care. I want to know Mr. Estrada's views before entrusting him with the life-long job of interpreting the laws and constitutional protections that govern our lives and our children's lives.? Should a man who refuses to answer questions in a job interview be rewarded with the job? Of course not.? (Senator Reid, Op-Ed, ?Judicial Candidate Should Answer Questions,? Reno Gazette-Journal, March 12, 2003)