Obama determined to fill federal judgeships

[Tx4obama]

Obama determined to fill federal judgeships

Buoyed by re-election, President Obama is determined to make his mark on the federal judiciary after years of seeing nominees delayed or derailed by Senate Republicans.

To which those same Senate Republicans say: Good luck with that.

The latest battle in what has become a protracted war over federal judges focuses on 19 men and women whose nominations have been pending in the Senate for an average of eight months. Senate Republicans declined to confirm any of them during the presidential election. They say the nominations will see a similar fate in the lame-duck session of the outgoing Congress.

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Full article here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/28/obama-republicans-judges-senate/1715357/

The whole article is A Good Read



Edited to add...

Related article below

Senator delays 5 judicial nominations, including that of lesbian

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today ignored the calls of national and home-state groups and delayed Judiciary Committee votes on five federal judicial nominees, including that of a lesbian.

Grassley, the committee’s ranking member, has routinely held back committee votes on judicial nominations for one, two, three or even six weeks, usually without providing a reason. Ninety-seven percent of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees who have had committee votes scheduled have met with these delays, before confronting even greater obstruction on the Senate floor.

One of the five nominees is Pamela Ki Mai Chen who, if confirmed, would become just the fifth openly gay person to receive a lifetime federal judgeship and only the second Chinese-American woman on the federal bench.

On Wednesday, 16 Iowa and national groups sent Grassley a letter urging him to end these routine delays of judicial nominees, which have helped create a record vacancy crisis in the federal courts. In response, Grassley flaunted misleading statistics and failed to produce a reason why he has delayed nominees far more frequently than his predecessors.

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Full article here: http://sdgln.com/news/2012/11/29/senator-delays-judicial-nominations-including-lesbian

[silverweb]

1. Bookmarked for after work.

[santamargarita]

2. We the true Americans, not GOP fascist, need...

to rise up and threaten those right wing assholes in the house. Bring back the guillotine!!!

[99th_Monkey]

3. What in the F*CK is Harry waiting for?

I know Reid recently hinted at revising filibuster rule in Senate to be more
in line with it's original intent: to be used very rarely, while requiring great
effort and inconvenience on the part of anyone using a filibuster. i.e.
that they MUST stand and deliver 24/7 and draw protracted national attention
to themselves, to literally make themselves a national spectacle, as in the
days of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".

I see absolutely NO reason, NONE, that Dems should not make this
change immediately or at least in Jan when they start new session. To not
do so abdicates leadership and makes a mockery of congressional powers.

I would LOVE to see the ReThug have to stand up to the scrutiny of a REAL
filibuster, where it would become patently obvious to everyone -- in a way
that could no longer be ignored by M$M -- exactly WHO is bringing the
people's business to a grinding halt for no good reason, except to embarrass
President Obama and obstruct needed change.

Yes, if ReThugs get back into a majority in the Senate, the Dems will also
have to live by the same rule, but so be it. This anonymous picking up a
phone to quietly & single-handedly killing a bill or a nomination has GOT TO
STOP.

Every day that passes, where this continues, is a disgrace and a stain on the
reputation of the Senate Democrats..

[Tx4obama]

4. Senate rules can be changed with only a '51' vote the 1st day of the new congress in January.

The 113th Congress starts January 3rd, that is the day that Senator Reid can do something - not now.

[99th_Monkey]

5. That being the case

I suppose there may be tactical reasons for playing cards close to vest.