Washington Post: "The White House is preparing to send a raft of new judicial nominations to the Senate in the next few weeks, according to Republican strategists inside and outside the administration -- a move that could challenge the durability of last week's bipartisan filibuster deal and reignite the political warfare it was intended to halt." Thanks to Blogs for Bush for the link.
Here's US Senator Dianne Feinstein's statement on the nuclear option from the Congressional Record. From the record, "The Senate confirmed more circuit court judicial nominees than in Reagan's or Clinton's first term. When Democrats were in the majority in 2001, there were 110 vacancies and by the end of the 108th Congress and President Bush's first term, the number had plummeted to 27 - the lowest level of vacancies since the Reagan era. Of the 8 nominees reported out of committee this year, four have already been confirmed. One, Thomas Griffith, is waiting a vote, and the remaining three are controversial nominees who were defeated last Congress: William Myers, Priscilla Owen, and Janice Rogers Brown. In addition, President Bush has sent the Senate but one new judicial nomination this year. Brian Sandoval of Nevada is the only new judicial nomination sent to the Senate in the first five months of this year. He has bipartisan support from his home State Senators and appears to be a consensus nominee. Again, what do these numbers mean? They mean there is no crisis on the federal bench that justifies the so-called nuclear option as some of my Republican colleagues contend." Be careful what you ask for. Thanks to Josh Marshall for the link.
Category: 2004 Presidential Transition
9:08:29 AM 
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