City Council Demands U.S. Senate Action on Federal Judicial Vacancies
Pittsburgh City Council is calling on the U.S. Senate to fill a multitude of vacancies in the federal court system, particularly eight open seats on Pennsylvanias bench.
In a Will of Council document, Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak called on Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) to put pressure on party leadership for a vote on the dozens of judicial nominees awaiting Senate approval. Many of the open positions have been vacant since 2009.
According to Rudiak, the judicial vacancies cause long delays in civil cases, leading many plaintiffs into inadequate settlements.
Womens Law Project attorney Tara Pfeifer agreed that judicial vacancies cause devastating delays.
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http://www.essentialpublicradio.org/story/2012-07-10/city-council-demands-senate-action-federal-judicial-vacancies-11724
p.s. Wow - ya know it's bad when even a City Council starts hollering about the delay in judicial conformations. Over the past two years President Obama, U.S. Senators, Judges, and Judicial Organizations have all voiced their outrage regarding the Republican obstruction of judicial conformations - but I must admit I was very surprised to see this article regarding a 'city council'.