Today, this letter, dated April 19 and signed by all nine Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was delivered to Chairman Leahy:
Dear Mr. Chairman:
We are writing today with respect to Peter D. Keisler, nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. As you know, Mr. Keisler was first nominated on June 29, 2006. As of next week, Mr. Keisler’s nomination will have been pending for 300 days.
We would urge you to place Mr. Keisler on the agenda for the next available executive committee meeting. Mr. Keisler’s hearing was late last year, providing more than enough time for Senators to complete their evaluations of the nominee. Mr. Keisler’s exceptional qualifications speak for themselves, and we are confident that a decisive majority of the Senate would find him to be an excellent addition to the DC Circuit.
On a related note, we appreciate the recent confirmations of nominees to the Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals and believe such confirmations serve as excellent examples for confirming nominations with bipartisan support. Placing Mr. Keisler’s nomination on the agenda for the next executive business meeting would be an appropriate next step in the same direction.
Please let us know if there is anything we can do with respect to Mr. Keisler’s nomination. We look forward to your response.