Free Republic

Republicans take control of US Senate, increase their House majority for Obama's final 2 years Article by: DAVID ESPO , Associated Press Updated: November 5, 2014 - 7:45 AM WASHINGTON — Riding a powerful wave of voter discontent, resurgent Republicans captured control of the Senate and tightened their grip on the House Tuesday night in elections certain to complicate President Barack Obama's final two years in office. Republican Mitch McConnell led the way to a new Senate majority, dispatching Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky after a $78 million campaign of unrelieved negativity. Voters are "hungry for new leadership....

Earlier today, I posted the "lawyers' evaluation" of Judge Sotomayor that appears in the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary. The evaluation, based on interviews with lawyers who have appeared before Sotomayor, was favorable on the whole, but hardly glowing. To see what a glowing evaluation looks like, check out the lawyers' evaluation of Samuel Alito at the time he was nominated for the Supreme Court. (Like Sotomayor, Alito was a federal court of appeals judge then): Lawyers interviewed praised Alito's legal acumen. "He is exceptional." "He has brilliant ability." "He is even more exceptional than Becker. He is a brilliant...

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, concerning the agency’s involvement with the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. ... Among the specific deliverables outlined in the “work plan” is a taxpayer-supported program to improve Mexico’s infrastructure: “Improve North America’s competitiveness by enhancing Mexico’s competitive position through the establishment of a grant fund for development with U.S. and Canadian resources to finance the development of physical infrastructure in Mexico.” ...

The celebration of Rosa Parks's extraordinary contribution to America presents an excellent opportunity for me to summon all the strength at my command so that I may shout at the top of my lungs: "Thank God Almighty for liberal judicial activism." I suppose this makes me a heretic in a town where radical right dogma reigns supreme, especially after the trashing of White House counsel and now-withdrawn Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. But I'll still pay tribute to activist judges. After all, it was a default by elected leaders that led an "activist" Supreme Court to decide in 1956 that...

Once again, the U.S. Senate has trashed the U.S. Constitution. Judicial nominees require "advice and consent" of the U.S. Senate. Had the founders envisioned the need to require a super-majority for consent, they would have specified that requirement, as they did for treaty ratification and for constitutional amendments. While the Constitution does authorize Congress to establish its own rules of procedure, this procedure must fall within requirements set forth within the Constitution. Until 1917, there was no procedure for stopping Senate debate on any issue. The first "cloture" rule required two-thirds of the Senate to stop debate. In 1975, Senator...

Clockwise: Priscilla R. Owen, William G. Myers III, Terrence W. Boyle, Richard Allen Griffin, William H. Pryor, Jr., Brett M. Kavanaugh and Janice Rogers Brown. Click on the photos above to see the resumes of these qualified judges. Democrats' Double Standardhyp·o·crite -- n. One who pretends to be what he is not or to have principles or beliefs that he does not haveThe Democrats' efforts to block President Bush's qualified judicial nominees are not only hypocritical but are examples of partisan politicking at its worst. Republicans in the Senate are working to ensure that all of President Bush's judicial...

As millions of Americans watched Senate Democrats grill Condoleezza Rice during her confirmation hearings for secretary of state, many asked, "Why fight a forgone conclusion?" We all knew Rice would be confirmed. Colin Powell’s heir apparent passed the Senate by a vote of 85 to 13. Notable detractors included former Klansman Robert Byrd, "Teddy" Kennedy, and John Kerry. Have the Democrats lost their collective mind? Why oppose the inevitable? Simple. This is the preseason for the biggest game in town: selecting the makeup of our next Supreme Court. And make no mistake, the playoffs are swift approaching. Chief Justice William...

This is my first post to FreeRepublic. I have been lurking for a while. I am the author of www.bravetomorrow.com - a Bush supporting blog. Anyway, now that the introductions are over, I have a question for you all. I have heard President Bush talk about implementing a line-item veto that will pass judicial scrutiny. Does anyone know if it is possible to create such legislation? What was the primary objection of the courts to the first line-item veto? Thanks! PS. Please let me know if I did something wrong in my post. This forum system is terribly difficult to...

www.notspecter.com Great website!

In a January 6 fundraising appeal (sorry, "news alert"), People for the American Way warned that Armageddon is approaching. With President Bush’s renomination the next day of the 31 nominees blocked last year by the Democrats, including Charles Pickering and Priscilla Owen, Armageddon is upon us.The 14 Appeals Court nominees have already languished an average of more than 500 days. The confirmation rate for President Bush’s Appeals Court nominees was 42% less than for previous Presidents and vacancies have averaged 50% higher than during the Clinton years.Leftists helped Judiciary Committee Democrats prevent the full Senate from voting on nominees at...