Obama resubmits judicial nominations to Senate

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has resubmitted a batch of federal judicial nominations that didn't clear the Senate last year, including four that provoked strong objections from some Republican lawmakers.

Obama sent 42 names to the Senate on Wednesday. They include 35 nominees for federal district courts and seven for the appellate courts.

The most controversial of the four is Goodwin Liu (Loo), a dean at the University of California, Berkeley, law school. Republicans have criticized Liu for negative comments about Justice Samuel Alito during his Supreme Court confirmation.

The others are Edward Chen, Louis B. Butler Jr. and John J. McConnell Jr.



Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/obama-resubmits-judicial-nominations-796176.html

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Left off was Judge Chatigny, who was nominated to the 2nd Circuit and demonized by Republicans for wanting to make sure the mental status of an inmate was fully considered before putting him to death.

Those former southern democrats,(dixiecrats)and their fellow evil doers will talk that bill to death.

Personally, I'd wait until some bill that was important to the states that have Senators filibustering was coming up.

Subsidies for Nebraskan farmers, federal dollars for Mississippi and Alabama, etc
Then do nothing until the filibuster is over.

Economics often trumps principle.

It was exciting to see the nominees get renominated today,
BUT now a feeling of melancholy is setting in because the Senate will be in recess for the next two plus weeks and we won't see any movement at all until after they get back January 24th ;(

Udall-Harkin-Merkley Rules Reform Package

Blocking a vote with a filibuster used to be rare and reserved for extreme situations. Today, major bills, non-controversial bills, sometimes multiple steps on the same piece of legislation, and even non-controversial nominees face filibusters. There have been more filibusters since 2006 than the total between 1920 and 1980.

Senate rules are supposed to allow for substantive debate and to protect the views of the minority – as our founders intended. Instead, they are abused to prevent the Senate from ever voting on, and sometimes even debating, critical legislation.

Our reform resolution helps increase transparency, restores accountability, and fosters debate.

• Clear Path to Debate: Eliminate the Filibuster on Motions to Proceed

Makes motions to proceed not subject to a filibuster, but provides for two hours of debate. This proposal has had bipartisan support for decades and is often mentioned as a way to end the abuse of holds.

• Eliminates Secret Holds

Prohibits one Senator from objecting on behalf of another, unless he or she discloses the name of the senator with the objection. This is a simple solution to address a longstanding problem.

• Right to Amend: Guarantees Consideration of Amendments for both Majority and Minority

Protects the rights of the minority to offer amendments following cloture filing, provided the amendments are germane and have been filed in a timely manner.

This provision addresses comments of Republicans at last year’s Rules Committee hearings. Each time Democrats raised concerns about filibusters on motions to proceed, Republicans responded that it was their only recourse because the Majority Leader fills the amendment tree and prevents them from offering amendments. Our resolution provides a simple solution – it guarantees the minority the right to offer germane amendments.

• Talking Filibuster: Ensures Real Debate

Following a failed cloture vote, Senators opposed to proceeding to final passage will be required to continue debate as long as the subject of the cloture vote or an amendment, motion, point of order, or other related matter is the pending business.

• Expedite Nominations: Reduce Post-Cloture Time

Provides for two hours of post-cloture debate time for nominees.

Post cloture time is meant for debating and voting on amendments – something that is not possible on nominations. Instead, the minority now requires the Senate use this time simply to prevent it from moving on to other business.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(01-05) 16:49 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- President Obama revived the Bay Area judicial nominations of law Professor Goodwin Liu and U.S. Magistrate Edward Chen on Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown with a strengthened Republican minority in the Senate.

In all, Obama renominated 42 candidates for federal judgeships who were denied Senate confirmation votes last year by Republican opposition. Besides Liu and Chen, they included Edward Davila, now a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge.

Davila, 58, an attorney for 20 years before his 2001 judicial appointment, won unanimous Senate Judiciary Committee approval last month and is likely to win confirmation once his nomination reaches the Senate floor. He would be the only Latino judge in the Northern District of California, based in San Francisco.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/05/BAGE1H4OA6.DTL