The Senate has just defeated the cloture petition on Caitlin Halligan’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit. Sixty votes were needed for cloture. The petition received only 54 votes in support and 45 votes against. (I believe that Senator Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to support cloture, but I’ll confirm that when I see the roll-call vote.) [Update: Here’s the roll-call vote. Murkowski was the only Republican yes vote. (Senator Hatch voted present, which is the functional equivalent of a no vote.)] By their unprecedented resort to the filibuster against President Bush’s judicial nominees beginning in 2003 and by...