"The cloture vote is scheduled, as my colleagues know, for 4:30 in the afternoon on Monday. If cloture is invoked--which I believe it will be--we will have a final up-or-down vote on confirmation on Tuesday at 11 o'clock in the morning."
Sorry, I've read so much in the last week, I just don't recall. Is there a required waiting period after the cloture vote for the confirmation vote? If not, why don't they just have the confirmation vote tonight (outside of the fact the good Senators don't want to work over the cocktail and/or dinner hour)?
EXECUTIVE SESSION -- (Senate - January 26, 2006)
[Page: S197]
CLOTURE MOTION
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk at this point.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The bill clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of New Jersey to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Bill Frist, Elizabeth Dole, Michael B. Enzi, Jim DeMint, Wayne Allard, Kit Bond, John Ensign, Arlen Specter, Rick Santorum, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Pete Domenici, Judd Gregg, Lisa Murkowski, Norm Coleman, George Allen, Mitch McConnell.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on cloture occur at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 30, with the mandatory quorum waived. I further ask consent that if cloture is invoked, notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the Senate proceed to a vote on the confirmation of the nomination at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 31. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that all debate time on Tuesday prior to 11 a.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, and that cloture vote may be vitiated by the agreement of the two leaders.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The default delay under Rule XXII is 30 hours of debate, ut that can be modified by a unanimous consent agreement. You probably recall a good number of cases wehre cloture and "vote on the matter" were held back to back, with no intervening debate. That was by previously agreed unanimous consent.
The UC for Alito also cuts the 30 hours short, but doesn't lay cloture and vote on the nominee back-to-back. I think the arrangement was made so last week, in order to give credence to the premise that filibuster had a chance. IOW, the GOP is helping the DEMs have cover and save face.
"The cloture vote is scheduled, as my colleagues know, for 4:30 in the afternoon on Monday. If cloture is invoked--which I believe it will be--we will have a final up-or-down vote on confirmation on Tuesday at 11 o'clock in the morning."
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Since the Senate usually resumes their session on Tuesday mornings, I bet this decision was made to accomodate all the "weekend" travellers who are not in DC today.