Bush names Miss. Judge Charles Pickering to federal appeals court

MSNBC.com ^ | DocCincy

[DocCincy]

This is posted as breaking news on msnbc's website. Did a search and didn't see it anywhere. Nothing follows for now. Anyone know anything?

[michigander]

Posted on Fri, Jan. 16, 2004

Bush Installs Pickering on Appeals Court

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Bush installed Charles Pickering on a federal appeals court Friday, bypassing Democrats who had stalled his nomination for more than two years, sources said.

Bush appointed Pickering by a recess appointment which avoids the confirmation process. Such appointments are valid until the next Congress takes office, in this case in January 2005.

Pickering, a federal trial judge who Bush nominated for a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, has been waiting for a confirmation vote in the Senate.

Democrats have accused him of supporting segregation as a young man, and pushing anti-abortion and anti-voting rights views as a state lawmaker.

They also have said they wouldn't be able to trust Pickering to keep his conservative opinions out of his work on the federal appeals court.

[Fixit]

Good article about the history of recess judicial appointments:

Article is here.

[kevao]

Fantastic! Hopefully more appointments to come.

How about we all agree to support amnesty for one illegal alien for each recess appointment of a conservative judge?

[Howlin]

I agree with you 100 percent. Kennedy can pitch a 'fit' if he wants to; Bush can "pitch" a bigger one. And it's about damn time he started!

[BCrago66]

Does anyone know - will Jusge Pickering draw a salary? Can't get the source now, but I believe recess appointees do not get paid.

[Impy]

[gov_bean_ counter]

Plus, when the Dems go balistic, he gets to revisit Pickering's qualifications and expose just how far outside the mainstream the Dems really are.

[Texas Federalist]

Yea, baby!! I guess Bush realized he needs to get his base back.

[ameribbean expat]

Borkin' A

[BJClinton]

GWB should have done this 2 years ago when he first nominated Pickering.

I think he chose now so he can mollify his consertive campaign contributors about the amnesty BS. He maybe gets some Latin American votes and maybe can keep his conservative contributors.

[KantianBurke]

he and Rove figured there'd be quite an outrage over the amnesty deal so they made up a list of actions that could quiet the base down or at least get the story off the front page. Going to the moon for one. 1.5 Billion for "helping marriages" for another.And now the money shot - recess appointing a judge. As I said before, smart politics.

[Howlin]

ll he could get kudos and counter any conservative uprising from the amnesty bs.

Is it impossible for you to post on ONE THREAD and NOT talk about that? Is it?

[MainFrame65]

"Once the appointment is up, will the Rats still stall and filibuster a vote on a current judge?"

I think this is a good question. I suspect that it has never been specifically addressed, and that there is neither any specific rule nor any precedent. If I am right, this would be ripe for a brand-new ruling from the chair, to CREATE a new precedent for the future that such reappointment votes cannot be filibustered.

[YaYa123]

EXCELLENT CATCH.....even better news for the country!!!

I'm thrilled!!!

[jpl]

Hallelujah!!!! It's about time we started playing hardball with Schumer, Kennedy, and the other bigots in the Senate.

[LdSentinal]

I can hear the Democratic spin already . . .

How dare the President appoint Pickering a few days before Martin Luther King day! Pickering is a KKK-loving racist . . . now it's time to change Robert Byrd's depends.

[MotleyGirl70]

Excellent!!!!

[gov_bean_ counter]

This one will reverberate well past this weekend.

[Howlin]

Look, we NEEDED an airhead thread.......we can only bash each other for so long!

[bourbon]

(((MS PING)))