Senate narrowly OKs Arkansas judge nominee

Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | By Charles Hurt

[JohnHuang2]

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

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Senate narrowly OKs Arkansas judge nominee

By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published July 7, 2004

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The Senate narrowly approved President Bush's nominee to a federal district court in Arkansas last night after six hours of sometimes-bitter debate.
    With 11 senators switching sides, the Senate approved lawyer J. Leon Holmes to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas by a 51-46 vote. He was nominated for the position 17 months ago.
    It was a solid victory for Mr. Bush and Senate Republican leaders, who succeeded in defining the debate about whether a practicing Catholic who opposes abortion can win confirmation to a federal court.
    Though Mr. Holmes was supported by Arkansas' two Democratic senators, he fell into disfavor among many other Democrats and some female Republicans for old writings about women and their role in marriage.
    "My vote will not be in any way related to his views on abortion or his personal religious beliefs. It is based on his body of statements over a 25-year period that led me to conclude that he doesn't have the fundamental commitment to the total even equality of women in our society," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican, in a rare display of dissension from the party line.
    Mrs. Hutchison was joined in opposing the nomination by Republican Sens. John W. Warner of Virginia, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.
    Mr. Warner is remembered in judiciary circles for contributing to the defeat of Judge Robert H. Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987.
    Yesterday, Mr. Warner walked into the chamber chatting with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and cast his vote from the back of the chamber. He then turned and left the chamber without saying a word.
    Republican Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina voted for Mr. Holmes' nomination, despite widespread speculation they would defy their party leaders.
    Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas were joined in support of Mr. Holmes by Sens. John B. Breaux and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Zell Miller of Georgia.
    Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry, his party's presumed presidential nominee, and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Mr. Kerry's running mate, did not show up for the vote.
    The debate on the Senate floor yesterday centered on an article Mr. Holmes wrote with his wife for a Catholic publication, in which they said a woman should "subordinate herself to the husband."
    His backers insisted the quote should be understood in the context of a religious text, in which the Holmeses were citing the teachings of the Apostle Paul.
    Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican, invoked the names of two committee adversaries -- Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois -- in supporting the nominee.
    "If it comes down to a choice between Saint Paul and my distinguished friend from Massachusetts or my distinguished friend from Illinois," he said, "I'll take Saint Paul."
    

[ambrose]

Republican Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina voted for Mr. Holmes' nomination, despite widespread speculation they would defy their party leaders.

I almost wish they had voted no, so he would have been confirmed 49 to 48... margin of victory? The absent Kerry and Edwards..

[Clock King]

What ever happened to Janice Rogers Brown? She SHOULD have been confirmed. Both sides of the isle are at fault: the Dems should never have gone against her -- she fit their ideals very well. The Repubs never showed any backbone in pushing this through. They could have shown the Dems for the evil racist haters they are.

[JohnHuang2]

Good point.

[ConservativeGadfly]

claude allen up on thurs.

pushing to get brown a vote, but it is going to be tough. hatch wants to push through a buddy of his from utah before brown.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry, his party's presumed presidential nominee, and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Mr. Kerry's running mate, did not show up for the vote.

I asked over on the 'It's Edwards' thread whether this meant we could slip some judges in. Hmmm.

[Coop]

Very good point. Kerry and Edwards - who weren't around much to begin with - will now be further removed from Senate votes. :-)

[Coop]

I was reading an article in yesterday's Wash Times that this was supposed to be a rather big showdown. According to the article the Dems felt they had enough votes to defeat this judge straight up on the floor, which is why they didn't (yet again!) filibuster him. Or maybe they're saving them all for the higher courts.

[nwrep]

I think we should send our thanks to Senators Zell Miller, Breaux, Nelson and Landrieu for supporting this guy. You have no idea how unpopular he is among leftists, and these Democrats deserve to be applauded for this.

Considering how eager we are to bash Senate Democrats on this board (deservedly so) most of the time, let us not let this good deed go unheralded. It took a lot of backbone, especially for Landrieu to vote yes on it, considering he was not from her state, and the strong NOW recommendation against him.

[VRWC_minion]

God 1, Liberals 0.

[votelife]

Brown will probably be brought up in September or October, when people are paying attn to the two Senator would be Presdiendts.