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“JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ACTIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S8881-S8882 on Sept. 21, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ACTIONS
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I understand another disturbing event has happened this morning. I am informed that the Senate Judiciary Committee has met this morning and has refused to report out any more judges--refused to do so; just stopped. Again, this flies in the face of what our responsibilities are supposed to be around here. If someone doesn't like a person, or they don't think they are qualified--I should not say ``doesn't like''--if they don't think they are qualified to assume a judgeship, let them vote against that person. But that doesn't give them a reason to hold someone up in committee.
I am speaking specifically of my Iowa constituent, Bonnie Campbell, former attorney general with the State of Iowa who is now pending in the Judiciary Committee for a vacancy on the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Will the Senator yield for just a second? I just want to make sure, I just want to ask the Senator, Bonnie Campbell has directed all of the work against violence against women; is that correct? My wife Sheila works closely with her. She has done phenomenal work, has just a great reputation; am I correct?
Mr. HARKIN. Exactly; the Senator is exactly correct. Bonnie Campbell has, for the last 4 years, directed the Office of Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice. I can't find one person on either side of the aisle who says she hasn't done a superb job.
She has received accolades from all over this country about guiding and directing that office. She is widely supported by the American Bar Association, by people on both sides of the aisle, the party in her home State of Iowa who know the kind of outstanding person she is, how bright she is, how capable she is, what a great job she did as attorney general in the State of Iowa, and now in the Violence Against Women Office in the Department of Justice.
People on both sides of the aisle support her nomination, and yet the Senate Judiciary Committee refuses to report her out of committee. She has had her hearing. That has all been taken care of. All the paperwork is done. She has answered all the questions.
I say to the Judiciary Committee: Report her nomination out. If for some reason you think she is unqualified--I cannot imagine why--then you can cast your vote, but at least let's bring the nominee to the floor.
There are 22 vacancies on the appeals court. That is nearly half the emergency vacancies in the Federal court system. With the growing number of vacancies in the Federal courts, these positions should be filled as soon as possible with qualified people. Yet the Judiciary Committee refuses to move.
Ms. Campbell received a hearing this summer. She would serve this position on the Eighth Circuit with honor, fairness, and distinction. She has the solid support from me and my Iowa colleague, Senator Grassley. Her nomination should be sent to the Senate floor.
Bonnie Campbell has had a long history in law, starting in 1984 with her private practice in Des Moines where she worked on cases involving medical malpractice, employment discrimination, personal injury, real estate, family law--a broadly based legal practice. She was then elected attorney general of Iowa in 1990, the first woman to hold that office in our State. She managed an office of 200 people, including 120 attorneys, again, handling a wide variety of criminal and civil matters for State agencies and officers. As attorney general, she gained high marks from all ends of the political spectrum as someone who was committed to enforcing the law, reducing crime, and protecting our consumers.
In 1995, she was appointed director of the Violence Against Women Office in the Department of Justice. In that position, she has played a critical role in the implementation of the violence against women provisions of the 1994 Crime Act. Again, she has won the respect from a wide range of interests with different points of views on this issue. She has been and is today responsible for the overall coordination and agenda of the Department of Justice efforts to combat violence against women.
I have known Bonnie Campbell for many years. She is a person of unquestioned integrity, keen intellect, and outstanding judgment. She has a great sense of fairness and evenhandedness. These qualities and her significant experience make her an ideal candidate for this circuit court position. Her nomination has been strongly supported by many of her colleagues, including the present Iowa attorney general, the president of the Iowa State Police Association and, of course, the American Bar Association.
Finally, we need a judicial system that reflects the diversity of this Nation. We need more women and people of color on the bench. Only 20 percent of all federal judge position in the country are filled by women, according to the Justice Department.
We have a backlog of judicial vacancies. It is only fair to move them, and we ought to move all of them out, especially Bonnie Campbell. She has had her hearing. Her nomination is sitting in the Judiciary Committee. If the reports I just heard are correct, the Judiciary Committee is stonewalling, refusing to move her name out to the floor of the Senate.
As I said earlier, this is another indication of how the leadership in this Senate is shirking its responsibilities to the people of this country--to put it off, delay, stonewall, don't do anything--when we have a crying need to fill these vacancies.
I am very dismayed. I had talked with the majority leader and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch, and others about this. And, Senator Grassley and I had remained hopeful that her name would be reported out so the Senate could act on it, but it seems we have been led astray, that it is the intention of the chairman of the Judiciary Committee to lock up this nomination and not report out Bonnie Campbell.
The women of this country ought to know that. The women of this country ought to know that a uniquely qualified, eminently qualified individual to take a vacant position on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is being denied by the Judiciary Committee her right to have a vote. Is that what the Judiciary Committee is telling the women of this country--that they need to take a back seat, that they will not act on these judicial nominees if you are a woman, qualified as Bonnie Campbell is?
I am very upset about this. I had in good faith been reluctant to exercise my rights as a Senator to in any way inhibit or do anything that would stop the flow of legislation or anything on the Senate floor because I had, I guess mistakenly, been of the opinion, or at least advised, if we just waited a due length of time, Bonnie Campbell's name would be reported out. Again, I think I was obviously mistaken, that my faith--my good faith--was not responded to in kind.
This is not right. It is not right to treat a person like this. It is not right to block someone who has had their hearing and is widely supported on both sides of the aisle. It might be a different story if there were a lot of controversy about Bonnie Campbell, but there is none. As I said, Senator Grassley, a conservative Republican, is openly supporting her. Republicans in my State have been supportive of her getting on the Eighth Circuit.
This is, I think, a black mark on the operations of the Senate, another indication of how the leadership of this Senate refuses to do the people's business, to let things come out on the floor so we can vote up or down. Bonnie Campbell is being denied her right, I believe, as a citizen of this country to have her nomination acted upon by the full Senate, and it is a bad mark on the Senate.
I am hopeful the Judiciary Committee will reconsider its action--
rather, its inaction. The Judiciary Committee can meet tomorrow, they can meet Monday, they can meet any day the chairman wants them to meet and report out this nominee. I was under the impression that was going to happen today, but obviously I had the wrong impression of what the Senate Judiciary Committee was going to do.
I urge the chairman to convene the Judiciary Committee and report Bonnie Campbell's name out before this session is over.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes before those who have time reserved come to the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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