Wes Hickman (202 224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864 250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made the following statement after Senate Democrats refused to end the partisan filibuster of the nomination of Judge Charles Pickering to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District: “The Senate is entering into one of its darkest chapters with the continuation of partisan filibusters to block well-qualified judicial nominees. Judge Pickering has received the highest rating from the American Bar Association, has support throughout his home state of Mississippi from Republicans and Democrats, and has been a courageous leader in bringing a better racial climate to Mississippi by advocating moderation and tolerance. Judge Pickering is being denied a judicial promotion because of liberal special interests whose intention is to distort the record of a qualified and decent man.” “The partisan filibusters of judges driven by liberal special interest politics will put the Senate in a death spiral with regard to judicial nominations. If our Democratic colleagues do not cease in partisan filibusters of well-qualified nominees there will be a confrontation in the Senate of Constitutional dimensions that will take years to overcome.” Sixty votes are required to break a filibuster. Today 54 Senators voted in favor of ending the filibuster, and 43 were opposed. ####