Rock Bottom
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Linda Greenhouse
Source: New York Times
Date: December 14, 2011
In the New York Times, Linda Greenhouse reiterated criticism of the Senate’s most recent filibuster of a judicial nomination, in this case Caitlin Halligan. According to Greenhouse, “[n]ow that another highly qualified judicial nominee has been left as road kill, the question is how much lower can the confirmation process sink.” Recent filibusters have prompted the nonpartisan group "No Labels"—run by former Representative Tom Davis and former adviser to President Clinton, Bill Galston—to issue a plan to end gridlock in Congress, including by reforming the filibuster process. In an op-ed in Politico, Davis suggests mandating up-or-down votes on all presidential nominees within 90 days. Even a recent success—the confirmation of Alaska Supreme Court Justice Morgan Christen to a seat on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—illustrates how greatly the judicial confirmation process is in need of reform. The L.A. Times noted that partisan politics was to blame for the 202-day wait between the time Justice Christen was nominated and the Senate’s ultimate vote to confirm her. According to Judicialnominations.org, there are 22 other nominees awaiting an up-or-down vote before the Senate adjourns later this month.
See also: Carol J. Williams, Obama Judicial Nominee Morgan Christen Confirmed, at Last, Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2011; Andrew Joseph, 'No Labels' has 12 Ideas to Make Congress Work, National Journal, December 13, 2011; Tom Davis, Break the Senate's Nomination Logjam, Politico, December 12, 2011.