Senate Confirms Raggi as U.S. Appeals Court Judge

TBO ^ | 9/20/02 | Jesse Holland

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The Senate has unanimously agreed to promote New York City judge Reena Raggi to the a federal appellate court as it debates what to do with the rest of President Bush's judicial nominees before adjourning for the year. The Democratic-controlled Senate on Friday approved Raggi's nomination on an 85-0 vote.

The 51-year-old Raggi will sit on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a former New York U.S. attorney, and has served as a U.S. District Court judge in New York since her nomination by President Reagan in 1987.

The 2nd Circuit, based in New York City, covers New York, Connecticut and Vermont.

The Senate has confirmed 78 Bush nominees to the federal appellate and district courts so far, with 49 nominees still awaiting a vote.

Two nominations have been rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee: Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen and U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pickering of Mississippi.

Raggi's nomination approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the same day that it rejected Owen's nomination. Committee Democrats called Raggi a mainstream Republican, while accusing Owen of being a right-wing ideologue.

The Senate committee is considering three other politically-charged appeals court nominees: U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Shedd of South Carolina, who wants a seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; University of Utah professor Michael McConnell, who wants a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and Washington lawyer Miguel Estrada, who wants a seat on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals.

Shedd and McConnell are waiting for votes in the Judiciary Committee, while Estrada will face committee questioning on Thursday.

[SunStar]

Senate Confirms Raggi as U.S. Appeals Court Judge

Let me guess... pro-abortion?

[GraniteStateConservative]

since her nomination by President Reagan in 1987.

The "Reagan is a god who can do no wrong" crowd here would be tongue-tied defending this if she is pro-choice.

[FreeTally]

She is a former New York U.S. attorney,

Wonder who's position she will favor when the basis of a law is being challenged....

[goodieD]

Not this Reagan supporter... I support no one who is pro choice, no matter what their party affiliation, no matter who appointed them.. I don't really care about affliations frankly, I go by conscience.

[concerned about politics]

New York, the state with the highest tax burden and the entire liberal NYC. I can see why they let her through.
Democrats are evil.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

I don't know anything about her, I simply figured the Leftists would save their picks until elections came close and nominate them.

[Redbob]

"Committee Democrats called Raggi a mainstream Republican,..."

Crap.
Just what we need, a Republican that Dimocrats approve of!

[agrace]

Here's her bio - http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/raggibio.htm

Looked for recent decisions, she granted Charles Schwarz 1 million bail - http://www.nycpba.org/press-abc/02/abc-020307-schwarz.html

Can't find much else, nothing about her political leanings, although in one article about the Senate's rejection of an "ideologue" - http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usowen062912700sep06.story - Chuck Schumer calls her a moderate. Here's the quote from that article -

"Moderates like Judge Raggi will sail through the Senate," he said. "Activists and ideologues like judge Owen are going to have a much more difficult voyage."

I'd say that's about all we need to know.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Let me guess... pro-abortion?

She probably has no track record on the issue. Abortion has been legal in New York since even before Roe v. Wade, so there probably have been no challenges to abortion laws that came before her as a federal judge. Her legal experience has been mostly as a federal prosecutor. She is regarded in New York legal circles as a fairly conservative law-and-order type, which is hardly surprising for an ex-prosecutor.

[right-sidedNYer]

This is driving me nuts now because I could only find the same links you found, but I know I heard Brit Hume mention last week some time that there were several groups that were opposed to Raggi's nomination because of her pro-life stand. I'll be darned if I can find anything along those lines though.

There's also this one here:
Raggi and this one More on Raggi

This is going to bug the heck out of me until I can find what it was Brit was referring to.

[HarryH]

Get a load of this... Two southern judges down the drain
and one northern judge nominated.. The Democratic Senate
is still dumping on the south! Kaboom!

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

THERE'S A BOOGER IN THE NOSE SOMEWHERE!

[Theodore R.]

In 1969 and 1970, the Senate defeated southern judicial nominees Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., and G. Harrold Carswell of SC and FL, respectively. Then the Senate confirm what turned out to be an ultraliberal, Harry Blackmun of MN, to take the vacant Supreme Court seat. Nevertheless, southern voters with some six exceptions continued to send monolithic Democrat delegations to the Senate.

[Theodore R.]

Is she on a Planned Parenthood board? If so, a good indication that she favors the "right" to abortion.

[Lurking Libertarian]

Is she on a Planned Parenthood board? If so, a good indication that she favors the "right" to abortion.

Is she? I haven't heard that anywhere.

On other hot button issues, she has decided that the death penalty is constitutional and that New York City's gun control laws are too.

[Aunt Polgara]

Here's something depressing. I was listening to Hugh Hewitt the other day, and it was said that white McConnell will probably get confirmed so that they can dump Estrada.

Can't have a conservative Hispanic in position to move up to the SCOTUS, can we?? :-(

[Lancey Howard]

Is she on a Planned Parenthood board?

Not in a million years.
Ever since the scumbag Democrats invented "Borking", judges are well aware that if they are ambitious to advance they better not leave a trail, or anything that people can get their hands around.

[xkaydet65]

Just a question. When will she take her position. She is now the presiding federal judge in the 4th trial of police officer Charles Schwarz in the Abner Louima case. Since she will sit on the appellate bench that will hear any appeal does she stand aside now at trial or later during appeal? Any legal types on the board, I'd appreciate your input.