 Paez waited 1,506 days to be confirmed, which at that time was the longest wait for a vote by any judicial nominee in U.S. history.The campaign against Paez's confirmation was led by Senators Robert C. Smith of New Hampshire and Jeff Sessions of Alabama over assertions that Paez and other 9th Circuit judges were too liberal.Then Vice President Al Gore interrupted his campaign to fly back to Washington to preside over the confirmation vote.