Crawford, Texas ? President Bush charged Saturday that Democratic senators were stalling Miguel Estrada’s nomination to a federal appeals court. Democrats said Estrada’s unwillingness to be more open has made it impossible for them to evaluate him.

Democrats have held up a final vote on Estrada, the president’s choice to be the first Hispanic on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which often decides government cases.

“I call on the Senate Democratic leadership to stop playing politics, and permit a vote on Miguel Estrada’s nomination,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “Let each senator vote as he or she thinks best, but give the man a vote.”

Democrats say Estrada, a Washington lawyer, lacks the judicial experience to serve on that court. They also complain about his refusal to answer questions about specific cases, including abortion rights, during his confirmation hearing.

Estrada was first nominated in May 2001, but the nomination did not move to the Senate floor until Republicans took control in January.