Everett McKinley Dirksen of Pekin blocked the elevation of Abe Fortas as chief justice in 1968. I can’t imagine Mitch McC of Louisville doing this now. We ended up with Nixon’s Warren Earl Burger (succeeding Earl Warren of Bakersfield; note similarity of names).
Ike appointed Warren he resigned before the election that year and the GOP stalled it thank God for Dirkson
Come Monday everybody better start calling their senators and getting really pizzy about it. I have two calls to make first thing.
For accuracy, it was Senate Republican Majority Leader of Michigan who stopped Fortas and the nomination for Associate Justice of LBJ crony and political hack Homer (?) Thornberry of Texas. Also, I believe that Earl Warren was from the Oakland area near San Francisco not from the California southern desert town of Bakersfield. Warren was Oakland County District Attorney prior to his election as governor.