Posted on 01/28/2005 1:18:17 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.) told HUMAN EVENTS he would resist pressure from Democrats to hold new hearings on the judicial nominees that President Bush plans to soon renominate. Most of the nominees have already undergone questioning by members of the Judiciary Committee, leaving Specter with the option of bypassing another round of hearings and instead sending them to the floor for a vote.
"In general, I do not propose to have rehearings," Specter said. "There would have to be an exceptional circumstance that would require a hearing. We've already had hearings."
Specter, however, said he might subject two appellate court nominees--Defense Department counsel William Haynes and Brigham Young University counsel Thomas Griffith--to another round of hearings. Sparks are likely to fly over both nominees. Haynes's first hearing came in November 2003, prior to the abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Griffith, meanwhile, has run into trouble over an expired law license he forgot to renew. He had a sparsely attended hearing last November.
A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) scoffed at the idea Republicans would forgo hearings. "What is being suggested would make an already problematic process for these nominations even more troublesome," said Jim Manley, staff director for the Senate Democratic Communications Center.
Even with Specter's not planning to hold new hearings for the old nominees, the clock is ticking for Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.), who promised to bring one of the Bush nominees to a vote on the Senate floor in February. The White House, however, has yet to submit the nominees to the Senate for consideration. Specter said he expects Bush to do so in "due course." White House spokeswoman Erin Healy told HUMAN EVENTS: "The process is moving along. As soon as we have something to announce, we'll let you know."
Senate Republicans have refused to disclose who the first nominee to face a vote might be, but some view California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown and Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen as ideal. Brown was the first black woman to sit on California's high court.
In a January 4 speech to open the 109th Congress, Frist said he wouldn't hesitate to change Senate procedures if Democrats tried to filibuster the nominee, as they did to 10--including Brown and Owen--in the last Congress.
Robert B. Bluey is Assistant Editor for HUMAN EVENTS
I scoff at his scoff!
Sounds like Arlen has been taking mega-calcium pills for that curved spine of his...Good News!
I second your scoff scoff.
Dan
I scoff at Harry Reid, and his staffer who was arrested for disorderly conduct at the Inauguration.
Even with Specter's not planning to hold new hearings for the old nominees, the clock is ticking for Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.), who promised to bring one of the Bush nominees to a vote on the Senate floor in February. The White House, however, has yet to submit the nominees to the Senate for consideration.
He promised to bring a nominee to the floor in February, so you can see why the media would be implying, on January 28th, that the Republicans are delinquent.
Is this true? Have Senate Republicans grown a spine? (I doubt it.)
that is what makes Arlen so much of a riddle....one day he is dissing us and the next day he will do something that is as hard core conervative as anyone.......he is a strange little fellow,,,,can't ever figure out if he is sincere or posturing
Don't trust Specter--he's a demoncRAT wearing a pubby title.
Maybe MacSpectre's going to forgo hearings on ALL of W's nominees! You know... just to make up for all the wasted time.
Dan
Harry Reid: the Mouth of Clin-ton.
D
RINO Rebuff of a democrat: "Please, please, please, oh pretty please, don't get mad at me, but, but, but, well, I have to, you know, please, please, please, don't get mad at me...."
Arlen got reamed over the two new staff appointments to the committee he just made...both liberal Dems..
well I know one was part of the NAACP and despite being a real RINO as opposed to RINO's some see here in anyone who disagrees.....he still does and votes with the Repubs on some 72% of bills......so all I know is that he is disruptive on many things but then turns around and strongly supports the conservative position......just never know whether Jeckle (sp) or Hyde will show up
Frist campaigned against Daschle and helped get him out. No Majority Leader had ever done that before. He's doing all he can -- now we need our larger majority to step up.
Specter will be all right. Bypassing rehearings is a good sign!! He'll move all of them to the Senate right away, except for two where there are new issues (fair enough). Specter will be all right.
Meanwhile, the President needs to send JANICE ROGERS BROWN first. STOP everything in the Senate until she gets a vote. Let's see if Di-Fi and Box-O-Rox have the balls to filibuster JRB, who is from California and very popular. Let's see if other 'Rats will prevent a vote for JRB during Black History Month. It's long past time for OUR TEAM to start playing the race card.
either this is another decoy, to make up for his recent liberal appointees, or he has been leaned on by the GOP.
"I scoff at his scoff!
Only scofflaws can scoff so Reids scoffing was appropo.
This is just typical Specter. He got caught hiring the NAACP Democrat (Kemerer?) to vet Bush's nominees, so now he will tack right to try to get off the hook for having to answer for that by skipping more hearings on at least some of the nominees the White House is sending back to the Judiciary. He always takes a giant step to the left and if caught, a baby step to the right, hoping that will fix things. There's no riddle here; this is his pattern. Just look at what he's done since election day. No need to go back any farther than that to see how he operates.
Yup. There will be rehearings.
haha.....I used to sail alot and "tack" is a good word... I just see the sailboat tacking back and forth and yup,.that is Arlen
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.