Eastern NC deserves a federal judge
Published May 6, 2016
Editorial by Rocky Mount Telegram, May 5, 2016.
For more than a decade, the U.S. District Court in Eastern North Carolina has faced a conspicuous absence – and not for a lack of nominees.
The nation’s longest-running federal court vacancy has sat unfilled since Jan. 1, 2006, first because a U.S. Senate then controlled by Democrats would not confirm the nomination of Thomas Farr, forwarded by then President George W. Bush.
Now, because U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, North Carolina’s senior Republican senator, is opposed to President Barack Obama’s nomination for the bench – Patricia Timmons-Goodson.
Burr argues the nomination of Timmons-Goodson is a political choice, and he is right. That is the nature of the selection process.
But the only alternative Burr seems to favor is an empty seat. If every Republican senator in Washington followed Burr’s lead, the country would have plenty more vacancies. And if every Democratic senator adopted a similar stance when a Republican occupies the White House, the court system would have still more.
Maybe that means something on the scoreboard of partisan gamesmanship, but it does not serve justice to the people of Eastern North Carolina.
Timmons-Goodson is not exactly a rookie. She served on the N.C. Supreme Court from 2006 to 2012 and is now vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Republicans will be quick to point out that the mess started because partisan politics blocked a nomination by Bush, and they are right. It was a shameful mess then, too.
But where has that left the people of Eastern North Carolina for the past 10 years?
