Cloture Rejected On Caitlin Halligan (updated)

onlygunsandmoney ^ | 6 December, 2011 | John Richardson

[marktwain]

The Senate rejected cloture on the filibuster of the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan to be a judge on the D.C. Circuit this afternoon. The vote was virtually a party line vote with every Democrat voting to invoke cloture and every Republican except Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Hatch voted Present and Murkowski voted to invoke cloture. To invoke cloture would have required 60 votes Yea. The final tally was 54 Yeas, 45 Nays, and 1 Present.

How your senator voted is below.

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---54

Akaka (D-HI)

Baucus (D-MT)

Begich (D-AK)

Bennet (D-CO)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Blumenthal (D-CT)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Conrad (D-ND)

Coons (D-DE)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feinstein (D-CA)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Hagan (D-NC)

Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kerry (D-MA)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (ID-CT)

Manchin (D-WV)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Murray (D-WA)

Nelson (D-FL)

Nelson (D-NE)

Pryor (D-AR)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---45

Alexander (R-TN)

Ayotte (R-NH)

Barrasso (R-WY)

Blunt (R-MO)

Boozman (R-AR)

Brown (R-MA)

Burr (R-NC)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coats (R-IN)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Collins (R-ME)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Crapo (R-ID)

DeMint (R-SC)

Enzi (R-WY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Heller (R-NV)

Hoeven (R-ND)

Hutchison (R-TX)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Johnson (R-WI)

Kirk (R-IL)

Kyl (R-AZ)

Lee (R-UT)

Lugar (R-IN)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Moran (R-KS)

Paul (R-KY)

Portman (R-OH)

Risch (R-ID)

Roberts (R-KS)

Rubio (R-FL)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Snowe (R-ME)

Thune (R-SD)

Toomey (R-PA)

Vitter (R-LA)

Wicker (R-MS)

Present - 1

Hatch (R-UT)

UPDATE: Looking over the list of Democrats listed as voting for cloture, I see a few that have portrayed themselves as friends of the Second Amendment such as Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Jon Tester (D-MT), and David Pryor (D-AR). I guess for them party is more important than principle.

The White House is not pleased that the filibuster will continue according to this statement. Obama describes his nominees as "distinguished" but a more appropriate description might be anti-gun ideologues.

Statement by the President on Republican Filibuster of Caitlin Halligan

I am deeply disappointed that a minority of the United States Senate has blocked the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Halligan has the experience, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction on this court, and she has broad bipartisan support from the legal and law enforcement communities. But today, her nomination fell victim to the Republican pattern of obstructionism that puts party ahead of country. Today’s vote dramatically lowers the bar used to justify a filibuster, which had required “extraordinary circumstances.” The only extraordinary things about Ms. Halligan are her qualifications and her intellect.

Currently, Senate Republicans are blocking 20 other highly qualified judicial nominees, half of whom I have nominated to fill vacancies deemed “judicial emergencies” by the Administrative Office of the Courts. These are distinguished nominees who, historically, would be confirmed without delay. All of them have already been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee – most of them unanimously – only to run into partisan roadblocks on the Senate floor. The American people deserve a fair and functioning judiciary. So I urge Senate Republicans to end this pattern of partisan obstructionism and confirm Ms. Halligan and the other judges they have blocked for purely partisan reasons.

[marktwain]

I have no doubt that the Obama administration thinks that upholding the Constitution is purely partisan.

[ScottinVA]

Murkowski (R-AK) YES

Why am I not surprised...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The vote was virtually a party line vote with every Democrat voting to invoke cloture and every Republican except Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it.

We need to get rid of Orville in 2012.

And Lisa ASAP.

[Da Coyote]

Perhaps the repulsicans are beginning to grow a smidgeon of a cojone.

Congrats.

Keep it up.

[pabianice]

Lunatic Leftist, strident campaigner against private ownership of firearms, ultra-liberal Columbia law school* professor. The perfect Obama court nominee.

* Columbia law school hosts anti-Semitic rallies featuring Arab terrorist speakers

[Parmenio]

FYI, voting “present” on a cloture motion is the same as voting “no”.

[ScottinVA]

Barack Hussein Obama (D) (2008)
Mark “Independent Voice” Warner (D-VA) (2008)
James “Born Fighting” Webb (D-VA) (2006)

---

Virginia’s contribution to the Great American Malaise. Hopefully, we’ll continue our climb out of our dark era next year.

[ScottinVA]

Hatch voted “present,” eh? Couldn’t muster the courage to vote “no.”

Eunuch.

[Verginius Rufus]

As the saying goes, “never count your Hatch before he chickens.”

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We need to get rid of Orville, period.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks marktwain.

The Senate rejected cloture on the filibuster of the confirmation of Caitlin Halligan to be a judge on the D.C. Circuit this afternoon. The vote was virtually a party line vote with every Democrat voting to invoke cloture and every Republican except Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Hatch voted Present and Murkowski voted to invoke cloture.

All politics is local, except when it's not.