ConfirmThem

By AndrewHyman Posted in Senate Rules — Comments () / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

It's not Reid's version of history that I'm worried about. It's his version of Senate rules that is the main problem, as described in a letter to the Washington Times yesterday.

Reid claims that the previously filibustered judicial nominees, "have been turned down by the Senate." I don't think Reid was lying. He was just repeating what other Democratic Senators (like Durbin and Schumer) have already admitted. These nominees were rejected. And, they were rejected in a way that completely violated the Senate's own rules.

Senate Rule 31, Section 3 requires that when a nominee is rejected, the rejection must be by a majority.

In the case of these nominees, they were rejected, but NOT by majority vote. The GOP Senators ought to wake up and enforce Rule 31. The Democratic Senators who voted against these nominations did not intend to further explore the merits, or further try to convince the other side. Instead, they voted against cloture in order to kill the nominations.

That kind of behavior might be all well and good when the Senate is considering legislation, but Senate Rule 31 forbids it for nominations.