More calls to stop blocking Greenaway Judgeship

by: Jason Springer

Wed Jan 27, 2010 at 10:30:00 AM EST

Hopeful wrote yesterday about the effort to obstruct and hold up Judge Greenaway from confirmation to the Court of Appeals for the third circuit. Along with the calls from our Legislators, many groups are now coming forward calling for an end to the hold. The NAACP pointed out that the seat will be vacant for 4 years at the end of this month:

the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) called upon the United States Senate to confirm immediately Joseph Greenaway to the Third Circuit Court ofAppeals.
President Obama nominated Judge Greenaway on June 19,2009. Greenaway has served as a district court judge in New Jersey for nearly fourteen years. He was rated unanimously well-qualified by the American Bar Associatiofl. The Senate has yet to vote on his nomination.

Greenaway was approved in the Judiciary committee unanimously and there isn't opposition, just an anonymous hold. They also noted the significance of his nomination:

LDF also noted that Judge Greenaway's confirmatjon would do much to promote diversity on the Third Circuit. TheoThird Circuit was home to the first African-American federal judge, William Hastie, appointed in 1949. "Over sixty years later, there is again only one African American on the court --Theodore McKe.e. This is very distressing."

And the people for the American Way also called for an end to the hold:

"In the last year, the level of obstruction displayed by the GOP has been unprecedented," said Baker. "Although there's been much attention to Republican delay tactics aimed at high-profile nominees and legislation, Judge Greenaway illustrates the fact that even consensus picks with broad bipartisan support are being held up. None of us are well served by that situation. Joseph Greenaway should be confirmed without any further delay."

You can see Senator Lautenberg's floor remarks on the holding up of the Greenaway nomination here:

Ultimately as Hopeful wrote in the initial diary, the question is what will they do to end the hold. At least if someone is going to put a hold, they should have to say they're doing it. Right now it appears they are just trying to have the pressure build, but that doesn't ensure any action. Just take the nominee to head the TSA, who couldn't even have an attempted attack on an airplane end the blocking of his nomination, to which he eventually withdrew. That position is still vacant as well, see a pattern?

Jason Springer :: More calls to stop blocking Greenaway Judgeship