ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Previously filibustered nominee William Pryor has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party line vote of 10-8. Two other nominees, Brett Kavanaugh and Terrence Boyle, have been held over.

So, altogether, four previously filibustered nominees have been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and await up-or-down votes by the full Senate: Mr. William Myers, California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, and Circuit Judge William Pryor. Judge Pryor has a temporary "recess" appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

At the hearing today, Senator Kennedy said this: "It's clear that Mr. Pryor sees the federal courts as a place to advance a political agenda" (which is not unlike Wilt Chamberlain accusing the Pope of promiscuity).

Senator Specter said this at the hearing today:

"If Democrats were to vote their conscience without the party-line vote, we would not have a filibuster or least not have the pattern of filibusters,'' Specter said. "If Republicans were liberated from the party-line straightjacket," then "we would not support the nuclear option."

It appears, however, that Minority Leader Reid intends to make cloture votes on majority-supported judicial nominees a matter of party loyalty.

UPDATE: Apparently, Sen. Reid has just offered to drop filibusters against two non-controversial Michigan nominees (Griffin and McKeague), but Sen. Frist reiterates the principle that each person nominated by the President and reported to the Senate floor deserves an up-or-down vote.