Consider that Senate confirmation of John Roberts as chief justice of the United States in 2005 took 72 days from the day President George W. Bush nominated him.
And that included some shuffling because Roberts was originally nominated to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor but was switched to the top spot when then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist died.
Consider that the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings for Ruth Bader Ginsburg five weeks after President Bill Clinton nominated her in 1993.
Ginsburg had been an equal-rights advocate as a private lawyer and spent 13 years as a federal appellate judge, so she had accumulated a long paper trail. But the Senate voted to confirm her just 50 days after nomination.
So why are Republicans grousing about the July 13 hearing date set for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court pick?
It seems that politicians refuse to avoid playing politics with judicial nominations.
The average time between Supreme Court nomination and confirmation over the past 30 years has been 72 days, according to scotusblog.com.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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