Obama pushes back on stalled nominees, Arkansas appointments still absent

[usregimechange]

President Obama will try again on a batch of nominees, mostly for Justice Department or judicial slots, who couldn't clear the Senate in 2009. Republicans effectively filibustered them to death, Gang of 14 precedent of the Bush years not withstanding.

It raises again the question of whether he'll ever get around to nominating people for three open federal judgeships and two U.S. attorney jobs in Arkansas. Time's flying and the Senate seems likely to become still less congenial toward his nominees, particularly after November.

(A legal source continues to believe, however, that appointment of Michael Barnes as U.S. attorney in Little Rock should be coming soon.)

http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2010/01/obama_pushes_back.aspx

[bluestateguy]

1. It's time for us to declare ourselves no longer bound by the Gang of 14 agreement

Not that it ever should have been made in the first place, of course.

[notadmblnd]

2. why didn't he appoint them when congress was on vacation?

how many recess appointments did monkey boy make?

[usregimechange]

3. I don't know, look what happened to one of the first:

"Presidents since George Washington have made recess appointments. Washington appointed South Carolina judge John Rutledge as Chief Justice of the United States during a congressional recess in 1795. Because of Rutledge's political views and occasional mental illness, however, the Senate rejected his nomination, and Rutledge subsequently attempted suicide and then resigned."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recess_appointment