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Reid announces Senate votes on judges |
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By J. Taylor Rushing
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Posted: 06/23/08 04:58 PM [ET] |
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday announced that the chamber would vote Tuesday on a handful of judgeships that have stymied legislative action in recent weeks. His office and Judiciary Committee aides later confirmed that two circuit court nominees and three district court nominees are scheduled for pending votes, although it is unclear how many of them will be voted on immediately Tuesday. “Sen. Reid is working to have the Senate confirm a number of judges as early as Tuesday afternoon, consistent with our efforts to treat President Bush’s judicial nominees with more respect than President Clinton’s nominees received from a Republican Senate,” said Reid spokesman Jim Manley. The circuit court nominees are Helene White and Ray Kethledge, both nominated for Michigan seats on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The district court nominees are G. Murray Snow of Arizona, William T. Lawrence for the Southern District of Indiana and Steven Murphy for the Eastern District of Michigan. Republicans have been pushing Democrats to confirm at least 15 appellate court nominees by the end of this Congress, the historical average in the last two years of recent presidencies. So far, the Democratic Senate has approved eight judges to the appellate bench. Democrats say Republicans are blocking the nominations through the Judiciary Committee. |
