Last week, the Huffington Post reported that Pat Toomey is blocking four Pennsylvania judicial nominees. Toomey is a partisan warrior for his team, so this would be an unremarkable story were it not for one key detail: Pat Toomey actually recommended these nominees to the White House. Today’s #TBT reminds us that this isn’t the first time Toomey has played political games by blocking his own nominees.
One year ago today, President Obama nominated Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to the US Court of Appeals, a decision Pat Toomey called “superb.” But, just a few months later, Toomey senselessly blocked Restrepo’s nomination.
The vacancies in the courts have led to a dangerous “judicial emergency” situation, where judges are extremely overloaded, creating long delays in court cases.
“Senator Toomey has repeatedly prioritized partisan politics over responsible governing, so it’s hardly a surprise that he continues to play political games by blocking his own judicial nominees,” said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Pat Toomey is making it clear that he cares more about scoring cheap political points than the swift delivery of justice in his own state, and this is exactly the type of reckless partisanship that will retire Toomey next year.”
