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TPM: Biden: Harry Reid Opens Door To Nuking The Filibuster For Judges
Pull the trigger, Harry. Use the power to appoint judges while you can. The Republicans would.
Harry Reid Opens Door To Nuking The Filibuster For Judges
SAHIL KAPUR – NOVEMBER 6, 2013, 6:00 AM EST
For the first time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has opened the door -- slightly -- to reforming the filibuster for judges with the so-called nuclear option if Republicans persist in their mass blockade of President Barack Obama's top judicial nominees.
He pointed out on Tuesday that support for nuking the filibuster is growing among Democrats -- even senior party members who have been skittish about it in the past -- after Republicans blocked a vote last Thursday on Patricia Millett to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Liberals are ratcheting up the pressure on Democrats to go nuclear.
SAHIL KAPUR – NOVEMBER 6, 2013, 6:00 AM EST
For the first time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has opened the door -- slightly -- to reforming the filibuster for judges with the so-called nuclear option if Republicans persist in their mass blockade of President Barack Obama's top judicial nominees.
He pointed out on Tuesday that support for nuking the filibuster is growing among Democrats -- even senior party members who have been skittish about it in the past -- after Republicans blocked a vote last Thursday on Patricia Millett to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Liberals are ratcheting up the pressure on Democrats to go nuclear.
He accused Republicans of violating a 2005 agreement under which Democrats allowed several conservative judges on to the D.C. Circuit in exchange for a bipartisan commitment that future nominees wouldn't be filibustered except for extraordinary circumstances.
"When we had this agreement a number of years ago, and we let all those people on the D.C. Circuit -- there was an agreement by 14 senators, most of whom are still here, that there would be no filibustering judges except under extraordinary circumstances," said a visibly frustrated Reid. "Patricia Millet -- there's nothing -- no one has raised a scintilla of evidence about her that she's not qualified or that she's in any way not morally equipped for the job. So, I just think it's a breach of a number of agreements around here."
more...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/harry-reid-nuclear-option-judges
"When we had this agreement a number of years ago, and we let all those people on the D.C. Circuit -- there was an agreement by 14 senators, most of whom are still here, that there would be no filibustering judges except under extraordinary circumstances," said a visibly frustrated Reid. "Patricia Millet -- there's nothing -- no one has raised a scintilla of evidence about her that she's not qualified or that she's in any way not morally equipped for the job. So, I just think it's a breach of a number of agreements around here."
more...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/harry-reid-nuclear-option-judges
2 replies
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Our legislature is already far too gridlocked. Easing that tension would be a net positive, and I am not worried about what Republicans would do if they had this power. Whatever they did do, we could reverse by getting 51 Senate seats in the next election.
-Laelth
