Posted on 06/09/2005 6:40:17 PM PDT by Pikamax
Senate confirms Griffin, McKeague to 6th Circuit Court of Appeals 6/9/2005, 7:04 p.m. ET By KEN THOMAS The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Richard Griffin and David McKeague of Michigan to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, ending a nomination process that was mired in a lengthy fight over President Bush's judicial appointments.
Griffin, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge from Traverse City, and McKeague, a U.S. District Court judge from East Lansing, won approval to the Cincinnati-based court without any opposition.
Griffin said he was pleased with the confirmation and said he was "anxious to get to work to help ease the backlog of cases that created a judicial emergency for the circuit."
He expressed no bitterness about the three-year delay between his initial nomination and confirmation.
"I'm looking to the future now," said Griffin, the son of former Sen. Robert Griffin, who served Michigan in Congress from 1957-66 and the Senate from 1966-79.
McKeague's office said he would decline comment until his confirmation is signed by President Bush.
Michigan Democrats Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, who had opposed the nominations because of holdups to two judicial appointments during President Clinton's administration, offered their endorsement of the judges.
"We support moving on with these two nominations. We hope that in doing so, it may produce some bipartisanship and compromise," Levin said.
Stabenow said both judges had "distinguished" legal careers and expressed hope that moving forward would help restore "comity and civility to the judicial nominations process."
McKeague had been awaiting confirmation since late 2001, while Griffin's nomination had been stalled since mid-2002. They were renominated by Bush on Feb. 14.
Griffin, 53, has been praised by supporters as evenhanded and scholarly while opponents criticize his views on labor and civil rights issues.
McKeague, 58, spent two decades at a Lansing law firm practicing civil litigation before he was nominated in 1991 to the federal court for the western district of Michigan by then-President George H.W. Bush.
Supporters have called him a bright, fair jurist who is demanding of the attorneys who appear in his courtroom. While a member of the conservative Federalist Society, they say McKeague doesn't bring his ideology to the bench.
Opponents have complained that he would limit citizen access to courts in environmental cases.
The roadblocks to their confirmation were cleared in late May when 14 senators trying to keep in place rules allowing judicial filibusters worked out a deal that essentially ended filibusters against six of Bush's nominations to the 6th Circuit and other federal courts.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan Bieke Neilson of Grosse Pointe, who has been awaiting confirmation since late 2001, also is expected to win confirmation from the Senate.
The agreement reached last month made no commitment to end the filibuster that has blocked a vote on the nomination of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Henry Saad of Bloomfield Hills. He was nominated in November 2001 and renominated in February.
Michigan Republicans have complained that the lengthy delay in filling any of the Michigan slots on the court has produced backlogs in the court. The issue also has emerged in the early stages of Stabenow's re-election campaign next year, with GOP leaders criticizing her for holding up Bush's nominees.
State Republican chairman Saul Anuzis accused the senators of "playing a despicable game of politics with the Michigan nominees. For them to turn around today and vote in favor is hypocrisy in the first degree."
Levin cited the treatment that Clinton's nominees received from the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee as the reason he and Stabenow blocked Bush's Michigan nominees.
The Judiciary Committee kept Clinton's nomination of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Helene White on hold for more than four years, longer than any nominee in Senate history. White is married to Levin's cousin, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Charles Levin.
Clinton also nominated Detroit attorney Kathleen McCree Lewis in September 1999 to be the first black woman on the 6th Circuit, but Bush officially withdrew both nominations in March 2002.
Levin noted that more than 60 of Clinton's nominees never received a vote in the Judiciary Committee and "in the battles over judicial nominations that have consumed this body in recent years, the way those nominees were treated stands out as uniquely unfair."
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Who is the 6th judge in the agreement besides the 5 that have been confirmed already. Does anyone have a list of all the jduicial nominees and what is going on with each. Thanks.
This isn't surprising. None of these three judges was controversial in and of themselves. It was just a political payback by Carl Levin for something that had nothing to do with these judges in particular or even President Bush, for that matter.
These were the first three judges that the 'Rats backed down on.
What about Judge Sayd?
I thought the "deal" was only for three judges.
Not sure how many were actually mentioned specifically in the compromise (other than Owen, Brown & Pryor), but Griffith for the DC Circuit is up on Monday. After that, there are no immediate plans. Boyle & some others are due to be acted upon next week via the Judiciary Committee.
Bring on Brett Kavanaugh and let them argue that working with Ken Starr = "extraordinary circumstances." Let's see where DeWine and Graham really stand. Kavanaugh is the perfect "test case." Call Frist's office. Let's vote on Kavanaugh!!!
Henry Saad is one of the two judges (the other is William Meyers III) who the 'Rats still won't allow a vote on and the 7 Republicans who compromised backed down on.
The 'Rats have a major problem with Saad. I'm not certain what the cause is, though I vaguely remember something about allegations he let some personal agenda interfere with a judicial ruling he made in a case. Maybe a Wolverine State Freeper will know the details regarding it.
Saad sent an e-mail to a friend saying that stabenow the senator from michigan will pay a price for the obstruction.
Also Harry Reid has made a comment about allegations that were made against him in his fbi file.
The other michigan judge is susan neilson.
The dems always bring up the fact they only blocked 10 judges but many potential judges like rep chris cox of california, keisler for the 4 th circuit, claude allen for the 4th circuit had to withdraw because of a threat of a fillabuster.
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