TPMMuckraker Elena Kagan
Judicial Nominations
Progressives To Dems: Get Moving On Judicial Nominations
Zachary Roth | May 12, 2010, 12:26PM
As the Senate gets set to take up Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court, the slow pace of confirmation for lower-court nominations is creating vacancies that are gumming up the system and could even pose a long-term threat to President Obama's agenda. In response, some who follow the process are calling on Democrats to get tougher on GOP obstructionism. "We need a Nancy Pelosi in the Senate," said one progressive activist.
After yesterday's confirmations of Jon DeGuilo and Timothy Black to district court judge-ships, the Senate has now confirmed 26 of President Obama's nominees -- compared to 52 at this point in President Bush's tenure. Forty-two nominations are pending -- 20 in committee, and 22 on the Senate floor. Meanwhile, there are currently 102 court vacancies. That's an unprecedented backlog, observers of the process agree.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (19) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)Topics: Elena Kagan, Financial Reform, Harry Reid, Judicial Nominations, Nancy Pelosi, Pat Leahy, Senate Judiciary Committee
Obama Administration
'Disappointed' Siegelman: Obama Justice Dept. Virtually The Same As Bush DOJ
Justin Elliott | November 25, 2009, 10:42AM
Don Siegelman with Obama and Bush (inset)
When the Obama Administration argued in a filing earlier this month that the Supreme Court should not consider an appeal by Don Siegelman, the former Alabama governor wasn't surprised, even though the Obama filing maintained the Bush-era stance in Siegelman's controversial corruption case.
"There's really been no substantial change in the heart of the Department of Justice from the Bush-Rove Department of Justice," Siegelman tells TPMmuckraker in an interview.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (66) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (7)Topics: Barack Obama, Bush, Bush Administration, DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility, Don Siegelman, Elena Kagan, Eric Holder, George Bush, Justice Department, Karl Rove, Obama Administration
Follow us!
Most Popular
TPM Stories Now Surging on Digg.com
TPM Top News
© 2010 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
