In Act of Defiance, Democrat Stalls Obama Choice for Court

[alp227]

When a Democratic president nominates a federal judge from a state with two Democratic senators — and the Senate itself is controlled by Democrats — a speedy confirmation hearing typically follows.

But in an unusual case of intraparty defiance, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey is holding up President Obama’s nomination of a judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the only time a Democrat has tried to block one of Mr. Obama’s judicial appointments.

Mr. Menendez would not comment on why he was holding up the nomination. But the nominee, Patty Shwartz, has been in a relationship for more than two decades with the head of the public corruption unit for New Jersey’s federal prosecutor. And that unit investigated the senator during his 2006 election fight, an inquiry Mr. Menendez has long contended was politically motivated.

Judge Shwartz, now a federal magistrate judge in Newark, a lower-level position, declined to comment. But the connection has led the state’s bar association to speculate that Mr. Menendez is acting out of resentment, rather than any concern about Judge Shwartz’s qualifications.

full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/nyregion/senator-robert-menendez-stalls-obama-move-to-promote-judge-patty-shwartz.html

[usregimechange]

1. As if it wasn't hard enough to get the benches filled already...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

2. Isn't he up for reelection? He needs to watch his back!!

[Tx4obama]

4. Yes, he's up for re-election in 2012, link below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2012

[Justice wanted]

11. I in NO way am justifying Menendez action but the only reason why I would think he is holding it up

is because he is afraid of his re-election.


It is still a stupid and low down move but what can you do when you basically have two political parties being control by special interests and corporations you have Senators and Reps looking after their own heads instead of the best interest of the American people.


(edit for spelling)

[lsewpershad]

17. +1

[SixthSense]

3. I wouldn't call that defiance

I'd call it taking hostages

wonder what his demands are?

[WCGreen]

5. My guess is there is a strong challenge being put together against him in NJ

and he is blocking the confirmation due to that or it could be that Obama left something out of the federal budget for NJ and the senator is holding it up. Could even be a nomination from the Senator that the president is holding back...

My guess.

[hughee99]

21. I hear Corzine is looking for work. n/t

[craigmatic]

6. Senators are really a bunch of babies. This is the type of thing Nixon would pull.

[Rex]

7. No wonder Congress has a horrible approval rating.

[AtomicKitten]

8. Sounds like it's payback time.

Unless Rep. Menendez has a complaint against Judge Schwartz herself, I think he should stop using his office to settle political scores by proxy.

[jerseyjack]

9. I don't think it is a political score with Obama.

The corruption case against Menendez was brought by Christie when he was federal prosecutor for N.J. It was initiated when Menendez was running for senate and ended without indictments. I believe it was last year that the prosecutor's office issued a statement clearing Menendez of any wrong-doing.

[certainot]

12. thanks, bush rove gangsters routinely used 'justice' for political purposes and christie fits the

mold as a guy that would do that shit to nose his way up the ladder.

thanks for the detail. obama doesn't have to know everything.

[quakerboy]

29. So then who is it against?

And how does blocking this nominee further it?

Is the implication that he believes this Obama nominee is actually a Christie stooge?

[lunatica]

10. Well let this blow up and show us all the facts

Let's see if his reason for blocking this has legs. I'm all for exposing the truth.

[lonestarnot]

13. WTF!

Fuckwad!

[ieoeja]

14. Maybe he does not want judges in a relationship with someone from the prosecutor's office? n/t

[Hawkowl]

15. That is a good enough reason to block it

Conflict of interest, etc. Just because the President nominates someone doesn't mean it's a lock.

[a2liberal]

25. +1 (n/t)

[EC]

16. It seems that Menendez has had a bug up his ass for a while now.

I've seen him on the TV complaining about something recently (I think last month) and it was complaining about Obama. Don't remember what the issue was now, but I do remember saying to myself that he was being petty and spiteful for some reason. It was just his manner in that interview that really bothered me. Wish I could remember what it was about.

[yurbud]

18. it's pretty pathetic when the only time a Dem senator blocks Obama is because of corruption

doing it to protect your own ass is one thing, but doing it on principle, to hold out for stronger legislation or block unconstitutional provisions of bills seems to be too much to ask.

[quakerboy]

30. Which side has the corruption?

I genuinely dont know anything about Menendez. But a post above indicates that after an investigation induced by a highly motivated (questionably honest) partisan Christie was unable to find anything to indict him.

[Beavker]

19. A 'reason' should me mandatory for blocking a nominee.

Otherwise, there is no...reason to do so.

Ben Nelson moment for this Dem. If the DNC has any balls, he'd be primaried instantly.

[Pab Sungenis]

20. If only he or Lautenberg

had blocked Alito.

[sulphurdunn]

22. You can bet your ass

there would never have been an investigation of an incumbent Republican senator running for reelection two months before election day for any reason under a Christie administration .

[The Wizard]

23. Christie was on Rove's

list of U.S. Attorneys to be fired for not prosecuting enough big named Democrats. He launched specious investigations into Menendez and other NJ Democrats and kept his job. Christie is a slime ball like his master Rove.

[truthisfreedom]

24. It would be nice if the Dems could find a way to solve these problems behind the scenes

rather than give morale to the pukes.

[totodeinhere]

26. I would prefer that this be done out in the open so that we can all know what is going on.

The Obama campaign promised transparency for good reason. Government done out in the open in public is good government.

[emaxwell1313]

27. It often looks like Democrats are falling apart at the seams

Democrat members of Congress seem to be in a race to defy each other's authority and are even continually bending the Constitution, forcing Obama to do the same. And then the accusations naturally start flying that Obama wants to completely defy the Constitution, lead for more than 8 years and be a dictator and start the same processes that led to Nazi Germany. Is that what is happening or am I missing something ?

[Bucky]

28. What, you mean corruption in Washington is BIpartisan?

[Survivoreesta]

31. I was thinking Nelson, Baucus, Lieberman>

What's up with Menendez?