GOP signals it will oppose nominees to key court
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just a week after the Senate hashed out a compromise for approving seven of President Barack Obama's nominees to run government departments, agencies and boards, Republicans on Wednesday signaled their opposition to Obama's plan for filling vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday from law professor and former senior Justice Department official Cornelia "Nina" Pillard, one of three Obama nominees to the D.C. circuit, often viewed as the second most influential court in the country after the Supreme Court.
Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the committee, said Pillard's nomination wasn't necessary because the D.C. circuit doesn't have enough work to justify filling its three vacancies.
"An objective review of the caseloads reveals that the D.C. circuit is very low," Grassley said. "And it raises serious doubts regarding whether we need more than eight active judges on that court. There is no question in my mind that the statistics make clear that the D.C. circuit does not need any additional judges."
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/gop-senator-opposes-filling-dc-court-vacancies
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