Clinton slams GOP for blocking judicial nominations
From CNN Producer Timothy McCaughan
CHICAGO (CNN) -- President Clinton on Sunday lashed out against Republican senators he says are blocking his judicial nominees to the federal bench.
"They are so determined to keep an African-American off the court, they have allowed a 25 percent vacancy rate on the Fourth Circuit, just to keep an African-American off the court," he said.
An urgent vacancy crisis confronts federal courts throughout the country because of the Senate's inaction, Clinton said at the annual convention of the American Trial Lawyers Association.
He also cited the example of Enrique Moreno, whose nomination was opposed by Texas' Republican senators, who said Moreno lacked experience.
"Texas' senators said he was not qualified, because to them he was not a guaranteed ideological vote," Clinton said.
Clinton said he has appointed one of the most diverse federal judiciaries in history, with almost half of his appointees women and minorities.
"Justice may be blind, but we all know that diversity in the courts, as in all aspects of society, sharpens our vision and makes us a stronger nation," Clinton said in a written statement from the White House.
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