By JM Rieger and Cory Brown and David Hawkings

Ahead of a Wednesday Senate Judiciary hearing on nominees to fill federal court vacancies, Minority Leader Harry Reid slammed the “unconscionable” backlog, calling it an “injustice to the American people.” “As of today, there are 55 federal court vacancies, 24 of which are classified as emergencies,” Reid said. “At the beginning of the year, there were only 12 judicial emergencies … It’s no wonder Republicans are scrambling for cover on judicial nominations. They are scrambling because they have been ignoring their constitutional duty.” Reid also highlighted the delay on L. Felipe Restrepo’s nomination, who was chosen by President Barack Obama six months ago for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. “There’s no reason that he’s held up for six months, other than the Republicans just simply want to do everything they can to create problems for President Obama,” he said.