{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213061140/http://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/release/senator-coons-votes-to-end-gridlock-on-nominations", "Senator Coons votes to end gridlock on nominations", "2013-11-21", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Christopher Coons", "C001088", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 21, 2013\n                    CONTACT: Ian Koski at 202-224-5042\u00a0 \n\t\t\t\t\t Senator Coons votes to end gridlock on nominations \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted on Thursday to end Republican obstruction of President Obama\u2019s nominees. After filibustering two highly qualified and non-controversial nominees for the D.C. Circuit Court last week, Senate Republicans blocked a third on Monday. He released the following statement:\n\u201cAmericans expect and deserve a Senate that is capable of performing \u2014 at a minimum \u2014\u00a0its constitutional responsibility of voting on the president\u2019s nominees. Right now, the Senate is broken. The Senate has a proud tradition of respecting minority rights, and with rights come responsibilities.\u00a0 Republicans have so badly abused the rules that govern the Senate\u2019s operations that to let this continue would be an historic disservice to the nation. I\u2019d hoped that respect for the institution, reverence for the Constitution, and basic fairness would make reforms to the basic processes of the Senate unnecessary, but sadly, the gridlock has only worsened. It has to end.\n\u201cOver the past several years, we have seen nominees for the cabinet, agencies, judgeships, and even ambassador filibustered and threatened with filibuster time and again. In just the last month, simple up-or-down votes have been blocked on Patricia Millett, Nina Pillard, and Robert Wilkins \u2014 three eminently qualified and politically non-controversial nominees for the D.C. Circuit Court \u2014\u00a0and on Congressman Mel Watt\u2019s nomination to run the Federal Housing Finance Authority. No serious questions have been raised about the qualifications of any of the nominees and the trumped-up caseload argument about the D.C. Circuit flies in the face of recent history when, during the previous administration, a Republican-led Senate confirmed controversial nominees on four different occasions to fill the very same seats they are now filibustering. The range and duration of obstruction of nominations has made clear that simply hoping for an end to the Republican strategy of gridlocking the Senate is not enough.\u00a0\n\u201cI cast my vote in favor of these reforms today with a heavy heart but a clear conscience. The current system just is not working for the American people. We took a step today toward fixing it.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n                    \n        \n        \n\t\t\n                    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags:\n                            \n                                \n                                President Obama,\u00a0\n                            \n                                \n                                Nominations,\u00a0\n                            \n                                \n                                Judiciary,\u00a0\n                            \n                                \n                                Filibuster,\u00a0\n                            \n                                \n                                Senate", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213061140/http://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/release/senator-coons-votes-to-end-gridlock-on-nominations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.150625990703702, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}