Topic: Reviewing The Upcoming Schedule
Senator: Specter & Leahy
Date: SEPTEMBER 14, 2005
Contents
SPECTER: Senator Leahy and I have been discussing the schedule. And there had been a request for 30 additional minutes, all to be done tomorrow. And a schedule has been structured which will conclude shortly before 8 o'clock this evening. And we'll take a little time in the morning and then move ahead to the public witnesses so that what we'll be having is Senator Durbin will have his 20 minutes from 5:35 until 5:55. Senator Brownback will then have his 20 minutes. And Senator Coburn will have his 20 minutes of time yielded back.
The Republicans met and decided we would not take the third round in order to expedite the process.
And tomorrow morning, Senator Kennedy is willing to negotiate 30 down to 20 if it's tomorrow morning.
So he'll be on at 9 o'clock. And Senator Feinstein will be on this evening from 6:30 to 6:45 and again, tomorrow morning, from 9:20 to 9:35. And I'll post these so everybody knows exactly where everybody stands.
And Senator Feinstein will have the advantage to some extent of an overnight transcript which she had been concerned about.
And then I believe we will proceed next week to -- we have an exec set for the 20th but with agreement among the Democrats that we can hold it on the...
LEAHY: Is the 20th the -- the 20th a Tuesday?
SPECTER: It's a Tuesday.
LEAHY: My proposal -- and I would commit to you on this, that just so people watching understand, the judge knows this, under our rules, when we have a mark-up, an exec, when the nomination would come up, any senator has the right, for any reason whatsoever, no reason, to put it over for one week which for this is now for Tuesday which would put it over to the following Tuesday.
My proposal, and the chairman has been accommodating of what we've been trying to do, and I would commit to him that we would move the exec to Thursday of next week, which would give everybody plenty of time to read all the transcripts, everything else.
LEAHY: On Thursday, we would waive -- and I'm sure nobody on your side is going to ask to put it over by one day. So we will debate it whatever appropriate time that is on Thursday. We will vote on Thursday within the committee. Then, of course, it's out of our hands and it's up to the leadership to schedule what time they want on the floor. I understand they want to do it some time...
SPECTER: I think Senator Frist, the leader, will want to bring it to the floor on Monday, the 26th. He will make the final judgment on that. And Senator Leahy and I have talked between ourselves on the exec. We're going to set the pattern for 10-minute statements and ask that that pattern be followed. All senators have rights as they choose.
I personally am opposed to a third round, but in the face of requests by many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for a third round, and in light of this being a lifetime appointment for chief justice and all the other factors, I want to accommodate people as best I can.
And I don't want to run too far into tomorrow, because I want to finish the public witnesses tomorrow. We may have to run very late, but it's easy to run later with the public witnesses because we've got 31 and six panels, and they'll all be fresh.
And Judge Roberts, whom I conferred with before discussing the matter with Senator Leahy, is a very, very good sport. And the one question he answered positive and affirmatively was whether he could take it until 8:00 this evening, and he said he could. And I don't think it advisable to take him beyond that time. So he'll spill over a little bit into tomorrow morning.
LEAHY: Mr. Chairman, I know you have been fair in listening to us. We all -- and I think Judge Roberts would be the first to say this. This is a very serious thing we're talking about, the chief justice of the United States. We should take time to do it right.
I commend Mrs. Roberts, who has sat through this.
And, of course, you, Judge, can't see her, but a look of love and devotion is probably what is sustaining you through these long hours, from Mrs. Roberts.
(LAUGHTER)
LEAHY: And I commend her for doing it. But I also want to applaud the chairman. He has been fair. We've discussed -- I said yesterday or the day before -- they blur -- that the chairman and I, I think, have each other's home numbers on speed dial, we talk so much.
He has fulfilled every one of his commitments. We have worked hard to fulfill ours. We all take this seriously.
A number of people have announced how they're going to vote. And that's fine. Everybody has a right to do it. Every member of the Senate is going to think of this seriously, and he or she is going to vote if they're going to vote.
I just want to make sure that, when anybody votes, that they know what they have.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I commend you again for running a very fair, very open and very honest hearing.
SCHUMER: Mr. Chairman...
SPECTER: Thank you for your cooperation, Senator Leahy.
In just a moment I'll recognize you, Senator Schumer.
I don't want anybody to feel they've been shortchanged by the spilling over a little. I feel my duty is to have this matter resolved by October 3rd and that, if confirmed, Judge Roberts can take the seat as chief justice on October 3rd.
And that's what I'm looking for. And, to the extent possible, I want people on this committee to feel good about what we're doing and have sufficient time.
Senator Schumer?
SCHUMER: Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to go over the schedule. So we will start the third round this evening, of 15-minute rounds, and then continue tomorrow?
SPECTER: Well that's correct, except for Senator Leahy, who's taking 10 and 10 as ranking, and Senator Kennedy is going to take 20 -- but all tomorrow morning, giving up 10 minutes for the morning.
FEINSTEIN: I get 15 tomorrow morning?
SPECTER: You have 15 tomorrow morning and have 15 this evening.
SCHUMER: Same here.
SPECTER: And the same for Senator Schumer.
SCHUMER: Mr. Chairman, I just want to thank you. I think you're being -- I want to commend you and Senator Leahy. You're being fair and we're getting a full opportunity to ask questions.
SPECTER: I understand you're waiving the fourth round, Senator Schumer.
(LAUGHTER)
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