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Sen. Sessions to Filibuster Obama Judicial Nominee

By Jeralyn, Section Judiciary
Posted on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 07:32:00 PM EST
Tags: Jeff Sessions (all tags)
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Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions says he will filibuster the nomination of Indiana federal judge David Phillips to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sessions conceded that he probably lacks the votes necessary to ultimately prevent a final vote on Hamilton's confirmation....Decrying Hamilton's "steadfast resistance" to informed consent abortion laws and other positions that the Obama nominee has taken on the bench goes beyond the norm, Sessions argues.

A vote could take place tomorrow. Democrats likely have the votes necessary to confirm Phillips.(Even Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) will vote for Phillips.)

Roll Call reports Obama is ready to step up the pace of judicial nominations.

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    Sen. Sessions to Filibuster Obama Judicial Nominee | 12 comments (12 topical)

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    Ready to step up (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by andgarden on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 08:32:50 PM EST
    Honestly, we should be well on the way to filling vacancies by now.

    Don't take this the wrong way (none / 0) (#4)
    by Steve M on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:02:59 PM EST
    but shouldn't you at least graduate first?!

    Parent
    heh (none / 0) (#5)
    by andgarden on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:18:15 PM EST
    The case of the missing question mark!

    My hope--out of personal integrity--is that within ten years I will be unconfirmable for any such position. Who knows, I may already be.

    Parent

    Only with a Republican pres! (none / 0) (#6)
    by Steve M on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:21:04 PM EST


    Parent
    Well, I'm never going to be David Souter (none / 0) (#7)
    by andgarden on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:31:14 PM EST
    Too many people know exactly where I stand on too many issues. But honestly, I doubt I'd ever want to be a Federa judge. Judge Lefkow is a distant relative.

    Parent
    I suspect (none / 0) (#8)
    by Steve M on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:37:45 PM EST
    that you might have trouble getting confirmed by the institution you want to abolish.

    Parent
    Yes, that might be a problem (none / 0) (#9)
    by andgarden on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:45:09 PM EST
    But hey, John Bolton almost got confirmed, and he wanted to abolish the body he was supposed to serve in!

    Parent
    And just (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by andgarden on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 08:35:23 PM EST
    because:

    SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL)

    "Since the founding of the Republic, we have understood that there was a two-thirds supermajority for ratification and advice and consent on treaties and a majority vote for judges. That is what we have done. That is what we have always done. But there was a conscious decision on behalf of the leadership, unfortunately, of the Democratic Party in the last Congress to systematically filibuster some of the best nominees ever submitted to the Senate. It has been very painful." [Senate Floor Speech, 5/23/05]

    "This past election in large part hinged, as George Allen said, on a debate over the judiciary and whether or not obstruction was justified. I think the American people sent a clear message and I believe it's time for this Senate to make sure that judges get an up-or-down vote." [CQ Transcriptions "U.S. Sen. Allen & Other Senate Republicans Hold a Media Availability on the Possibility of a Democrat Filibuster," 3/15/05]
    He boils my blood (none / 0) (#12)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 08:41:31 AM EST
    And the sort of judges that Jeff Sessions didn't want fillibustered are exactly the sort of judges that my local community would not put up with having to deal with directly in their personal lives.  Alabama is crazy to me, but I suppose no crazier than Wyoming and I lived there for a very long time (which no matter what puts a Democrat in the Governor's chair so that the Republicans don't burn the whole state down to the ground).  All the local judges are voted for locally here though....and for some reason they are all Democrats.  But a majority of Alabama is proud to send Jeff Sessions to D.C. and they'll tell you so.  It's like sending someone your disease that you claim to love with all your heart but would kill you if you kept it for yourself.  It's just bizarre!

    Parent
    Aren't there a lot of positions to fill? (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by caseyOR on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:50:31 PM EST
    IIRC, Congress created aprox. 100 new federal judgeships to be filled by the president who took office this past January. Add to that the number of vacant positions, and it sounds like Obama better get on the stick.

    And, while we are on the subject of senate confirmations, what happened to Dawn Johnsen? Have there been any sightings? Is Obama ever going to fill that position?

    Well he has to do something soon (none / 0) (#1)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 07:51:18 PM EST
    Otherwise the South will begin to worship Lieberman instead any day now.....and some other guy made a million dollars by hollering "Liar" at the President during a speech before Congress.  Jeff wishes he would have thought of that one first.  I have never known him to have much of an imagination though or to be very creative.

    David Hamilton, that is (none / 0) (#11)
    by Peter G on Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 11:03:45 PM EST
    not "David Phillips".  His official bio.  I have to admit I'm partial to the guy, since he went to both the same college and the same law school as I did.  Here's the WaPo editorial against Sessions' filibuster threat.

    Sen. Sessions to Filibuster Obama Judicial Nominee | 12 comments (12 topical)

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