“I’ve always taken the role of advice and consent for judicial nominees very seriously. … In the end we always look to confirm the best and most qualified individuals,” Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said ahead of the vote. “Having spent time meeting with Judge Shwartz, I am convinced that she has the high character to serve as a circuit court judge.”
{mosads}Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pointed out that Shwartz was the tenth judicial nomination the Senate has considered in the 113th Congress. Grassley said that complaints from President Obama’s administration that the Senate is “arbitrarily delaying” nominees “ignores the facts” since in 2005 at this same point, President George W. Bush hadn’t received even one judicial confirmation.
“So I say to the White House quit complaining or get the nominees up here,” Grassley said, suggesting that the administration nominate more judges to deal with the judicial emergency in some states.
Grassley said he wasn’t going to support Shwartz’s nomination “because of her lack of candor at her hearing.”
GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Susan Collins (Maine), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rob Portman (Ohio) voted with Democrats to confirm Shwartz.
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the Senate would likely be working on judicial and cabinet nominees through the week.