Miguel Estrada really, really does not like Chuck Schumer. The high-powered lawyer from Honduras recently said he will not accept any nomination from the White House if it requires being "civil to Chuck Schumer."

The statement given to the National Law Journal comes as rumors swirl that Estrada is in the running to become Trump's next solicitor general. But so long as the job requires Senate confirmation and an audience with Schumer, Estrada isn't interested.

He has good reason to skip the opportunity. Sixteen years ago, Schumer, in a particularly foul manner, ruined the lawyer's shot at becoming a federal judge.

Back in 2001, Estrada was considered a shoo-in to become a justice on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. With a Harvard degree and record of winning arguments in front of the Supreme Court, the Bush nominee was whip smart. But thanks to Schumer, he never even got a vote in the Senate. The New York Democrat filibustered his nomination seven times.

Democrats said publicly that they needed more information about Estrada. Schumer described the litigator as "a stealth missile—with a nose cone—coming out of the right wing's deepest silo." Liberals argued that they needed access to confidential documents from the Justice Department about Estrada in order to evaluate his record.

A brilliant political strategy, the request was specious legally. In fact, seven former solicitor generals wrote on Estrada's behalf, telling Democrats that unsealing Estrada's record would harm the Justice Department's ability "to defend vigorously the United States' litigation interests."

Nevertheless, Schumer persisted, insisting he couldn't vote on Estrada without all the facts. But the real reason was more shrewd and much more shameful. Democrats didn't want a Hispanic conservative to make it onto the Supreme Court.

In purloined emails that were later leaked to the press, an aide to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin explained to his boss that strategists had "identified Miguel Estrada (D.C. Circuit) as especially dangerous, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment." Afraid of that possibility, Schumer kept filibustering.

The Bush White House described Schumer's filibustering as "shameful politics." And after 28 months of being left in confirmation limbo, Estrada had enough. He withdrew his name from consideration and returned to private practice.

Clearly time has not healed that wound or taught civility to Schumer for that matter. Now that he's risen to the rank of minority leader, there's nothing to suggest that the Democrat has become any less partisan and vicious.

Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.