Democrats need to explain to the masses the real truth. The filibuster was used numerous times by the republicans to stop Obama’s judicial nominees. There is NOTHING wrong with insisting on 60 votes.
Here are just some of the nominees filibustered….
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Goodwin Liu (of California), to newly created seat: Liu was nominated on February 24, 2010.[14] His nomination was returned by the Senate on August 5, 2010.[18] Liu had faced opposition due to his support of same-sex marriage and affirmative action,[18] and for his criticism of the Supreme Court nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito.[19] Republican opposition to Liu is also due in part to his being considered a possible Supreme Court candidate.[19] Liu was renominated at the start of the 112th Congress. On May 17, 2011, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Liu's nomination, with 60 votes needed to proceed to an up-or-down vote on Liu's nomination. The cloture motion attracted only 52 of the 60 aye votes required. On May 25, 2011, Liu wrote to President Obama requesting that his nomination be withdrawn due to the improbability that he would receive an up-or-down vote.[20] On July 26, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown nominated Liu to a seat on the Supreme Court of California,[21] and he was sworn in on September 1, 2011.[22] Obama later nominated U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Nguyen to the Ninth Circuit seat to which Liu had been nominated,[23] and the Senate confirmed her on May 7, 2012.[24]
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Edward C. DuMont: DuMont was nominated to the Federal Circuit on April 14, 2010.[25] The nomination languished for 18 months before United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which never scheduled a hearing on it, despite having had hearings and votes for two later nominees to the same court. A spokesperson for Senator Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in August 2011 only that "There are questions in Mr. DuMont's background investigation that have to be resolved."[26] If confirmed, DuMont would have been the first openly gay United States appeals court judge.[27] In November 2011, the National Law Journal reported that DuMont had submitted a letter to President Obama, asking that the president withdraw his nomination because one or more senators of the minority party on United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary refused to allow the committee to give him a hearing . Obama withdrew DuMont's nomination later that day .[28] In November 2011, Obama nominated Richard G. Taranto to the seat to which DuMont had been nominated, and the Senate confirmed him on March 11, 2013.
The message should not be “obstruct at will”. The message should be “this is exactly as Obama’s nominees were treated BEFORE the unprecedented Garland fiasco.
60 votes. Thats what is required.