Chief Justice Roberts calls for judicial confirmations

SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts raised some eyebrows in The Village with his annual report that criticized the slow pace of judicial confirmations, noting only 62 out of 96 vacancies on the federal bench have been filled in the last two years.

“There remains,” the chief justice wrote, “an urgent need for the political branches to find a long-term solution to this recurring problem.”

Roberts' critique echoes a similar complaint made by former Chief Justice Rehnquist during the Clinton administration when he "said the political tactics threatened 'the quality of justice' in the United States."

Of course with both judges being conservatives who were appointed by Republican presidents, they were careful not to point the finger at the obvious cause, GOP obstructionism. Which seems unlikely to diminish in the next session, no matter what damage it does to the judicial branch. Maybe Roberts could also try sending a sternly worded letter to Mitch McConnell.