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IT is disheartening and disconcerting, at the very least, that here we are today — almost exactly eight years after Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party — witnessing the departure of my good friend and fellow moderate Republican, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, for the Democratic Party. And the announcement of his switch was all the more painful because I believe it didn’t have to be this way. When Senator Jeffords became an independent in 2001, I said it was a sad day for the Republicans, but it would be even sadder if we failed to confront and learn...

My one rule of politics is that the future is never a straight line projection of the present. Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's unexpected decision to switch parties and run for re-election in 2010 as a Democrat proves the rule. Mr. Specter often votes for liberal Democratic initiatives and infuriates conservative Republicans. Still, his surprise defection was a crushing setback for the GOP, instantly reducing what limited power Republicans have in the Senate. The GOP's ability to stop liberal legislation is now weakened if not eliminated in some instances. CorbisMr. Specter's jump across the aisle significantly adds to the heavy Republican...

When Arlen Specter became the 21st senator to switch parties while in office, he did so with considerably more flash than one predecessor. "I basically tried to move about without notice," said former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. of Virginia. Byrd, 94, switched from Democratic registration to independent in 1970. "Colleagues were cordial, but I did my best to avoid everyone." Specter, 79, had little chance of repeating that feat Tuesday. His announcement kicked off a national frenzy of news stories and speculation about what it might mean for Pennsylvania politics, President Obama's agenda, the balance of power in the...

HUMAN EVENTS has learned from staff sources that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa) is about to announce his switch to the Democratic Party. Developing….

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Statement by Senator Arlen Specter I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation. Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party...

Dear Pennsylvania constituent: After giving exhaustive consideration to the Employee Free Choice legislation, I have decided to oppose the bill for reasons specified in my Senate floor statement which is contained below or you may read here [link 1] and watch here [link 2]. I remain open to working to correct the imbalance which exists with so many jobs being exported and substantial labor losses in areas like pensions and health care. In my floor statement, I have also laid out some suggested revisions to the National Labor Relations Act which could provide the basis for correcting the current imbalance....

Dear (redacted): Thank you for contacting my office concerning the confirmation of Eric H. Holder. I appreciate your interest in this important matter and your opinion. The confirmation of an Attorney General is one of my most important responsibilities as a United States Senator. Next to the President, there is no federal official more important than the Attorney General to ensuring that the rule of law is enforced. Attorneys General are trusted with incredible responsibility and, in our justice system, they often have the final say on critical legal issues. As a result, I take the Senate's constitutional role in...

Dear Friends, As you know, today the President signed into law the "Americans Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009." The vote on the stimulus package was a very tough vote because of the very large deficit we have and the very large national debt faced by future generations. But the economy is in a desperate situation. Just in the month of January we lost 600,000 jobs, added to the loss of 2.8 million last year. There are millions of people who are having their homes foreclosed. The economists tell us that if we do not act that the current severe...

Woman gives judge earful, lands in jail Obscene outburst nets Sarah Muller contempt charge in jury selection By Suevon Lee Star-Banner Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 5:35 a.m. OCALA — A Summerfield woman said she blurted without thinking a couple choice words for a county judge during jury selection at the Marion County Courthouse Monday morning—ones which had landed her in jail by the end of the day. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAR-BANNER Sarah E. Muller comments on her case during an interview at the Marion County Jail. click to enlarge Judge R....

[JURIST] US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) [official website; JURIST news archive], outgoing chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website], has indicated that President Bush may have to nominate moderate judges to any future vacancies on the US Supreme Court [official website; JURIST news archive] following midterm elections that ceded control of Congress to the Democrats. Monday's Philadelphia Inquirer also quoted Specter as speculating that the Democrats, who formally take control in January, may restrict or even halt judicial confirmations until the 2008 presidential elections. In related comments, Specter expressed hope that the lame-duck Congress will push through legislation [JURIST...

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is hosting a series of one-on-one lunches with members of the Supreme Court. The senator, whose tenure as chairman began last year amid furious conservative opposition but has included confirmation of two conservative nominees to the high court, is holding his tête-à-têtes in the Senate dining room with strict constructionists and loose constructionists alike. Specter told The Hill that he lunches with the justices simply because he is hungry. In a more serious vein, he added that he does so to hash out “matters of concern.” Pennsylvania’s senior senator said...

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him "good riddance." "I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record) declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting. "If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter...

WASHINGTON - President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should speak publicly about their involvement in the CIA leak case so people can understand what happened, a leading Republican senator said Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT "We ought to get to the bottom of it so it can be evaluated by the American people," said Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a federal court filing last week, the prosecutor in the case said Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, testified before a grand jury that he was authorized by Bush, through...

Sen. Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said Sunday that while President Bush's terrorist surveillance program is a "flat out violation" of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, it may be entirely legal because of powers granted the president by the Constitution. "There is an involved question here . . . as to whether the president's powers under Article 2, his inherent powers, supersede a statute." Specter told NBC's "Meet the Press." The Pennsylvania Republican said that if the FISA statute "is inconsistent with the Constitution, the Constitution governs and the constitutional powers predominate." Specter, whose committee is set to commence...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee promised a thorough investigation on Sunday into President George W. Bush's secret domestic eavesdropping program and said there would be no blank check for Bush. Sen. Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said Bush in theory could face impeachment charges if found to have violated the law by authorizing the program, but he did not endorse that approach and had heard no serious talk of it. News of the covert domestic spying program last month sparked an outcry by both Democrats and some members of Bush's Republican party. Many lawmakers...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter on Friday announced he would vote to confirm Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. "I intend to vote to support Judge Alito's nomination as associate justice of the Supreme Court," said the Pennsylvania Republican at the conclusion of his committee's confirmation hearing. Specter, a moderate who supports legalized abortion, announced his support of Alito, a conservative appeals court judge who was grilled closely on his past statements in opposition to a woman's right to an abortion. Most, if not all, of the eight Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are expected...

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress from both parties expressed outrage Friday over revelations that President Bush launched a secret domestic surveillance program in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The disclosure that the National Security Agency has been eavesdropping on domestic telephone conversations created a furor that could have far-reaching implications for the Bush presidency. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, promised a thorough investigation into the secret program early next year. The surveillance operation was disclosed Friday by The New York Times, which reported that the government has been monitoring phone calls...

Haunting Specter Arlen Specter's impending chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee has conservatives concerned | by Lynn VincentThe day after winning a dicey reelection fight, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, presumptive new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, held a press conference in which reporters asked him how he would handle pro-life judicial nominees. Perhaps feeling flush with imminent power, the famously pro-abortion Republican pledged allegiance to Roe vs. Wade—and seemed to warn President Bush that his judicial nominees should do likewise. Those remarks ignited protests by conservatives who jammed airwaves and Senate phone lines, questioning Sen. Specter's fitness to chair...

Conservative activists who protested Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's bid to chair the Judiciary Committee are vowing are keep pressure on the liberal Republican and his Senate colleagues who have vowed to support him. A formal vote on Specter's ascension won't happen until January. Even though the nine Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are backing Specter, his support in the 55-member Senate Republican Conference remains unclear. "Anything can happen in two months," said the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, who led a protest against Specter earlier this week on Capitol Hill. "Let's face the political realities, but I don't think it's both...