Posted on 07/07/2004 10:39:03 AM PDT by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Senate, allowed to make an up-or-down vote on one of President Bush's judicial nominees, confirmed the nomination of J. Leon Holmes as a U.S. District judge on Tuesday.
The vote was 51-46.
Conservative groups were delighted, but liberal groups -- determined to block any and all conservative, pro-life candidates -- were outraged.
Holmes's confirmation came after 18 months of filibustering by senators who support a woman's right to abortion.
The Family Research Council, delighted with Holmes's confirmation, applauded the 51 Senators who stood up for Holmes and said the vote shows that the U.S. Senate does have a conscience:
"Despite the religious bigotry of the left and strong lobbying efforts by pro-abortion forces, 51 U.S. Senators chose not to take part in character assassination and instead cast their vote based on Leon Holmes' integrity, credentials and legal expertise," said FRC President Tony Perkins in a press release.
"At the end of the day, this was a debate about whether a person who has deeply held religious beliefs can still be a public servant in this country. Thanks to the leadership of Senators Frist, Hatch, Santorum and others of integrity, the answer is still yes," Perkins added.
But the liberal Alliance for Justice criticized Holmes's confirmation to the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
"Holmes is an extreme anti-woman, anti-choice ideologue. He has no business sitting on the federal bench," said Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron. "His confirmation marks a sad day for women's rights."
The Alliance for Justice is offended that Holmes has compared abortion to the Holocaust and that he has expressed the opinion that women should subordinate themselves to their husbands.
"These views cast into serious doubt his ability to provide equal justice to women," the Alliance for Justice said in a press release. The group also said Holmes's public statements about homosexuals "raise serious concerns about his ability to remain objective in cases involving issues of sexual orientation or the separation of church and state."
The Alliance for Justice believes that Holmes will "now have the power to use his seat on the bench to advance his anti-woman agenda," and the group accused the majority of Senators of abdicating their constitutional role of advise and consent.
Elizabeth Cavendish, the interim president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called Leon Holmes one of President Bush's "worst" judicial picks, based on his "longstanding leadership level opposition to a woman's right to choose."
NARAL Pro-Choice America says activists sent more than 50,000 email messages to Congress this past month, urging a vote against the Holmes nomination. "Despite this, the Senate still allowed this dangerous ideologue to make rulings over women's reproductive rights and fundamental freedoms for a generation to come," said Cavendish.
'Anti-Catholic bigotry'
On May 1, 2004, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-9 to send Holmes' nomination to the full Senate without a recommendation of approval, the American Life League noted in a press release.
On Tuesday, before Holmes was confirmed, the American Life League said it was "outraged" by the "latest display of anti-Catholic bigotry" by Senators who tried to block Holmes's nomination to the federal bench.
"Once again we are witnessing an outright attack on a judicial nominee because he is openly pro-life and lives by the tenets of his professed Catholic faith," said Joseph M. Starrs, director of American Life League's Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church.
The American Life League believes that all pro-life Catholics who come before the Senate will encounter the barrier established by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who "apparently set the new litmus test for the Senate" when he said that "deeply held" religious beliefs disqualified Bush judicial nominee Bill Pryor from being a federal judge.
The American Life League also blasted Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for "working behind the scenes to convince other senators to vote against" the Holmes nomination.
See Earlier Story:
GOP Senators Targeted in Fight Over Judicial Nominee (2 July 2004)
He supports an infant woman's right to live.
Since Kerry and Edwards are busy, who else can the senate have a vote on?
they don't have any rights in an Algore paradise.
One more reason to vote Bush/Cheney ping
I never thought I'd see killing babies being a requirement for sitting on the bench.
Anybody know how Kay Bailey voted on this?
So now that the senate is missing two of its most liberal senators... when do we start the cloture votes again?
she voted nay.
No thanks to Kay Baily-Hutchenson...may she soon be history and replaced with a true conservative.
How did this pass cloture? Or did the Dems just let it by thinking they had the votes?
He was confirmed for the District Court. Most of the full press blocks come over nominees to the Court of Appeals. That is where the dems have let almost none of President Bush's nominees have a floor vote. When you hear the numbers, always ask for a breakdown into District and Appellate nominees.
NAYs ---46
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Daschle (D-SD)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (D-FL)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hollings (D-SC)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 3
Edwards (D-NC)
Kerry (D-MA)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Justice Ping!
I knew her stand on the abortion years ago, when she was first elected. I agree with most of what she does, but I am saddened to see her as a baby-killing supporter!
Any proof of that? Specter voted for Holmes in Committee and then voted for him on the Senate floor.
This was part of the "deal" that Bush made that his lower court appointments would get up-or-down votes in exchange for no more recess appointments. (A great deal for Bush since he already made all of his recess appoints that he planned on making...)
Thanks for the information, I hope a conservative would run against her in the next primary if she decides not to run for governor, but I don't think she could be beat in the primary.
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