Confirmation hearings for Bush judicial nominee Charles Pickering are on deck in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Pickering is up for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

The reaction was immediate from liberal groups.

"Judge Pickering's disturbing record exemplifies this administration's efforts to appoint judges who are far out of the mainstream to lifetime seats on the federal bench," said Ralph Neas, president of People For the American Way. "We are aware of nothing that has altered Judge Pickering's record since the committee's vote to reject his confirmation to the Fifth Circuit."

Pickering, a U.S. District judge in Hattiesburg, Miss., was defeated 10-9 in March 2001 when Democrats were in control of the committee. This came after civil rights groups said he supported segregation as a young man in Mississippi. Pickering's opponents also pointed to his conservative voting record as a Mississippi state lawmaker and decisions as a judge.

If Pickering makes it out of the committee, Democrats have promised a filibuster. Hold them to it. You can read all of our Pickering coverage here.