“It was a good reform because justice delayed is justice denied,” McConnell said. “And as it turns out, Judge Maldonado has by far the largest number of motions pending for more than six months among the judges of the Seventh Circuit, with 125.”
McConnell acknowledged that the judge has attributed this backlog, in part, to the complexity of cases and long transcripts and briefs.
“Does the president think his nominee will face less complex cases on the Court of Appeals?” he asked. “Lighter caseloads? Less voluminous transcripts or briefs?”
“Why on earth would our colleagues consider giving new and greater responsibilities to a judge who’s clearly struggling with the ones she’s already got?” he added.
Meanwhile, Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., again defended Judge Maldonado, writing in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she “has never — not once — been reversed by an appellate court.”
“Frankly, I’m surprised he brought her up,” Durbin said.
He added, “I look forward to her confirmation.”
