Senators Said to Reach Filibuster Deal
Senators From Both Parties Reportedly Reach Compromise on Filibusters, Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON May 23, 2005 — Centrists from both parties reached a compromise Monday night to avoid a showdown on President Bush's stalled judicial nominees and the Senate's own filibuster rules, officials from both parties said.
These officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreement would clear the way for yes-or-no votes on some of Bush's nominees, but make no guarantee.
Under the agreement, Democrats would pledge not to filibuster any of Bush's future appeals court or Supreme Court nominees except in "extraordinary circumstances."
For their part, Republicans agreed not to support an attempt to strip Democrats of their right to block votes.
Under the agreement, Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, nominated to a seat on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, would advance to a final confirmation vote.
Senate Republican leader Bill Frist has made her a test vote in a bruising showdown over the fate of several appeals courts nominees that Democrats blocked in the past and had threatened to block again.
With the series of climatic vote set for Tuesday, compromise-minded senators of both parties met in the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for a last stab at compromise
They arranged to make a formal anouncement at a news conference.
Associated Press
This sentence is why it was a loss. They got 6 Republicans to VOW not to ever vote for an end to a future filibuster. In other words, the Dems now have an ironclad agreement that gives them the right of rejection on any and all future Supreme Court nominees.