Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley issued the following statement after the nomination of Goodwin Liu failed to receive the required 60 votes. The 60 vote threshold became a Senate precedent after Democrats adopted the Schumer Rule and began successfully filibustering nominees beginning in 2002.
“Republicans have demonstrated a great deal of cooperation in moving consensus nominees through the Senate confirmation process. The problem is that Mr. Liu is far from a consensus nominee. After his nomination was returned to the White House twice last year, the President failed to learn that Mr. Liu was not a nominee who could earn the needed support from 60 members on both sides of the aisle.
“It’s now time for the President to send to Capitol Hill a consensus nominee that the members of the Senate can agree on, instead of insisting on moving forward with controversial nominees that are completely out of the mainstream of America.”