Posted on 11/14/2002 9:41:19 AM PST by deport
By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats on Thursday agreed to send two of President Bush (news - web sites)'s nominees for the federal appeals court to the full Senate for confirmation, despite opposition from civil rights and anti-abortions groups who said the men were too extreme.
The Democratic-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) by voice vote sent the U.S. Appeals Court nominations of U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Shedd and University of Utah professor Michael McConnell on to the full Senate as an olive branch to Republicans who will be in charge next year.
Shedd wants a seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) in Richmond, Va., and McConnell wants to sit on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Approval of the two nominees is considered likely during the Senate's last-minute rush to clear the pending nominations.
In a nod to the Republicans, outgoing Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., did not call for a roll call vote on either of the nominations in the committee — which has 10 Democrats and nine Republicans — and judged that there were enough "yea" votes to consider Shedd approved.
It was the first time that Leahy had not called for a roll call vote on a U.S. Appeals Court nominee since Democrats took over the Senate in June 2000.
Shedd has been criticized by civil rights groups, which accused him of having a "deep and abiding hostility toward civil rights cases" as a district court judge.
But Sen. Orrin Hatch (news, bio, voting record), R-Utah, and the incoming Senate Judiciary chairman, called Shedd a "decent, honorable, fair-minded person" and called for his confirmation as a nod to Sen. Strom Thurmond (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C.
The 99-year-old Thurmond has asked for Shedd's confirmation before his January retirement after a 48-year career. Shedd is a former aide to the senator.
McConnell also was approved by the committee on a voice vote. Liberal groups have denounced McConnell, an anti-abortion advocate, saying his lifetime of work for conservative causes makes him too biased to be a judge. But "I trust that Professor McConnell will not seek to undermine women's reproductive rights," Leahy said.
Hatch, who is McConnell's patron, said he would make a fine judge on the regional courts that are one step below the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites).
The GOP gains power in the Senate when the 108th Congress begins in January.
Shedd and McConnell now join other nominees awaiting final Senate action.
Senate aides have said Democrats are unlikely to clear all of the judges, ambassadors, federal boards and other positions languishing in the Senate nominees unless Democratic nominees are approved as well.
Among them are Jonathan S. Adelstein, a longtime aide of Democratic leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., who was nominated to the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites).
Daschle said Wednesday there was still hope. "My goal is that before the end of the session we will have cleared all or just about all of the executive calendar," the Senate majority leader said.
The Democratic-controlled Senate has confirmed 81 of 130 U.S. Appeals and District Court nominees.
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On the Net:
Senate Judiciary Committee: http://judiciary.senate.gov
I think that the Dems are really running scared. They have decided that they had better start approving some of these judges before we get even more conservative ones nominated with the next session. they know that they will be approved in the Congress.
"Step away from the podium. Take your seat in the back. We will tell you when we want you to raise your hand."
Maybe they actually believe that the US is a republic! Horrors.
Good luck, suckers.
I agree. Just as they trumpet their's and Clinton's support for welfare reform, after he had vetoed it twice until the polls told him to approve it, they will claim wide support and cooperation with Bush on appointments. They will then demand fair treatment of their own nominations. Grind 'em in the dirt!!
One can only hope!
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