"THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW" STARTS
RIGHT NOW.
GOOD EVENING, RACHEL.
>> GOOD EVENING CHRIS, MUCH
APPRECIATED.
THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US
THIS HOUR.
HE WENT TO MOREHOUSE.
HE GOT A LAW DEGREE FROM EMORY,
HE HAD A DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN
THE STATE OF THE NEW JERSEY IN
THE MOST POPULIST COUNTY IN NEW
JERSEY.
HE BECAME A JUDGE IN NEW JERSEY,
HIGHLY RESPECTED, DISTINGUISHED,
NOT A BLEMISH ANYWHERE ON HIS
RECORD.
AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY
2015, PRESIDENT OBAMA NOMINATED
HIM TO THE FEDERAL COURT.
HIS NAME IS XAVIER JUNIOR NIELS.
THAT WAS BASICALLY A GIMME.
DISTINGUISHED RECORD, NOT A WORD
AGAINST HIM, SORT OF AN IDEAL
CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB UTTERLY
AND NONCONTROVERSIAL.
THEY HELD HIS CON TIRFIRMATION
HEARING IN 2017 AFTER PRESIDENT
OBAMA NOMINATED HIM.
THE CONFIRMATION WENT GREAT.
NO OBJECTIONS.
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IS WHERE
THEY HELD THE CONFIRMATION.
THEY DECIDED BY A VOICE VOTE.
THEY DIDNT EVEN BOTHER TAKING A
ROLL CALL VOTE.
THEY JUST DID ALL IN FAVOR, AYE.
NO OBJECTIONS.
PASSED HIM THROUGH FOR HIS FLOOR
VOTE IN THE SENATE AND THEN HE
CAN BECOME A FEDERAL JUDGE.
THAT WAS IN NOVEMBER 2017.
ZERO CONTROVERSY ABOUT HIM.
HE PASSES A COMMITTEE WITH ZERO
OBJECTIONS.
THAT IS WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE,
WHAT NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD
BE, A TOTALLY NONCONTROVERSIAL
VOTE ON HIM IN THE FALL SENATE
TO CONFIRM HIM TO THE COURT, BUT
THAT NEVER HAPPENS.
THE COMMITTEE HAS ITS HEARING
AND PASSES HIM THROUGH ON A
VOICE VOTE WITH NO OBJECTIONS
NOVEMBER 2015 BUT THERES NO
FLOOR VOTE.
THEN DECEMBER 2015 COMES AROUND,
NOTHING HAPPENS.
NO FLOOR VOTE.
WE ROLL INTO JANUARY 2016,
NOTHING HAPPENING, NO FLOOR
VOTE.
PRESIDENT OBAMA, OF COURSE, IS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
BUT IN THE SENATE THAT WAS
CONTROLLED BY MITCH McCONNELL
AND THE REPUBLICANS.
AND WHAT MITCH McCONNELL AND THE
REPUBLICANS DID WHEN THEY
CONTROLLED THE SENATE WAS THEY
JUST REFUSED TO CONSIDER
PRESIDENT OBAMAS NOMINEES TO BE
JUDGES.
THEY JUST REFUSED TO ALLOW VOTES
ON OBAMA NOMINEES.
SO THE SEATS WOULD JUST STAY
EMPTY.
REPUBLICANS IN THE OBAMA ERA
DECIDED THAT A DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENT LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE,
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, HE
DIDNT DESERVE TO NOMINATE
FEDERAL JUDGES TO THE BENCH.
HE WOULDNT GET TO DO THAT
BECAUSE HES A DEMOCRAT.
AND REPUBLICAN SENATORS DECIDED
THEY WOULDNT CONFIRM JUDGES
NOMINATED BY A DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENT, THEY WOULD ONLY
CONFIRM JUDGES NOMINATED BY A
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, AND SO FOR
THAT REASON AND THAT RE
REASON ALONE, JULIEN NEALS, THIS
NONCONTROVERSIAL JUDGE FROM NEW
JERSEY, HE SAILS THROUGH THE
CONFIRMATION FROM THE COMMITTEE
ON A VOICE VOTE, BUT THEN THE
REPUBLICANS JUST LET HIM
LANGUISH.
THEY REFUSED TO VOTE TO CONFIRM
HIM ON THE SENATE FLOOR.
THEY REFUSED TO VOTE TO CONFIRM
HIM OR NOT.
THEY REFUSED TO HOLD ANY VOTE ON
HIM WHATSOEVER FOR NEARLY 700
DAYS.
FOR THE WHOLE REST OF THE OBAMA
PRESIDENCY, THEY WONT VOTE ON
HIM.
THEY HOLD HIS NOMINATION UNTIL
TRUMP GETS ELECTED.
AND THEN THEY DROP IT.
WHEN TRUMP WAS ELECTED,
REPUBLICANS, HAVING HELD OPEN
JUDICIAL SEATS THAT WAY IN
COURTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY,
ONCE TRUMP GOT ELECTED, THEY
TURNED ON A DIME.
AND THE REPUBLICANS AND THE
SENATE RACED TO PUT
TRUMP-NOMINATED JUDGES ON THE
COURTS, IN SUCH QUANTITY AND AT
SUCH A PACE THAT THEY NEARLY
SPRANG SOMETHING.
THEY DID NOTHING AS FAST AS
TRUMP-NOMINATED JUDGES.
TRUMP GOT JUDGES ON THE BENCH IN
HIS SCANDAL-FILLED OFFICE AS
DEMOCRATS WHO HAD EIGHT YEARS TO
DO IT.
THEY ABSOLUTELY STUFFED THE
COURT FULL OF TRUMP JUDGES.
WELL, TODAY 139 DAYS INTO THE
JOE BIDEN PRESIDENCY, 139 DAYS,
FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS INTO JOE
BIDEN BEING PRESIDENT, AND THE
SENATE BEING CONTROLLED BY THE
DEMOCRATS, TODAY, FINALLY,
JULIEN NEALS GOT HIS
CONFIRMATION VOTE ON THE FLOOR
OF THE SENATE.
PRESIDENT OBAMA NOMINATED HIM
FOR THE JOB MORE THAN SIX YEARS
AGO.
REPUBLICANS RAISED NO ACTUAL
OBJECTIONS TO HIS NO, MAAM
NALGS --
NOMINATION, BUT THEY
NEVERTHELESS HELD A VOTE TO
CONFIRM HIM.
PRESIDENT BIDEN, WHEN HE WAS
ELECTED, DECIDED HE WOULD
REELECT JULIEN NEALS.
TODAY JULIEN NEALS WAS CON
FIRMED IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE AND HE WILL BECOME A
FEDERAL JUDGE.
JULIEN NEALS IS THE FIRST
BIDEN-RELATED JUDGE TO BE
CONFIRMED BY THE PRESIDENT.
WHATS THE TAKEAWAY THERE,
RIGHT?
IT TOOK FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS
TO CONFIRM THE FIRST
BIDEN-NOMINATED JUDGE.
FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS.
TRUMP GOT MORE THAN 230 JUDGES
ONTO THE COURT IN FOUR YEARS,
AND THATS BECAUSE THE
REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED SENATE
WORKED HARDER ON THAT THAN THEY
WORKED ON ANYTHING ELSE.
IT TAKES TIME AND EFFORT AND
PRIORITIZATION OF THE CALENDAR
IN THE SENATE TO GET JUDGES
CONFIRMED.
BUT DURING TRUMPS TIME IN
OFFICE, THEY ABSOLUTELY STUFFED
TRUMP JUDGES INTO EVERY CORNER
AND CREVICE OF EVERY FEDERAL
COURT IN THE COUNTRY.