(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton offered the following statement today regarding the United States Senate compromise on judicial filibusters:

“The Senate compromise on judicial filibusters legitimizes a tactic that is not only repugnant to the Constitution, but also harmful to the judicial system.  Judicial filibusters are almost guaranteed to continue under this agreement.  The Senate compromise also represents a failure of leadership and a vote of no confidence in Senator Frist.  Despite Senator Frist’s public opposition to judicial filibusters, Republican and Democrat party leaders are united in opposition to a Judicial Watch lawsuit that would declare judicial filibusters unconstitutional.

“We believe Senator Frist should continue to demand an up-or-down vote on each of President Bush’s judicial nominees.  We encourage Senator Frist and fellow Republicans to rethink their strategy opposing Judicial Watch’s lawsuit.  Depending on how this compromise plays out, Judicial Watch’s lawsuit may be the only way to restore constitutional majority rule to the judicial confirmation process.”

Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit in May 2003 against the U.S. Senate in order to have the court declare unconstitutional the use of filibusters to block judicial confirmations, Judicial Watch, Inc. v. The United States Senate, et. al. (Civil Action 03-1066, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.).  On Friday, May 20, 2005, Senate lawyers requested a 30-day extension from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit so that the court could consider the outcome of the filibuster this week.