Senate Confirms Bush Court Pick

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Elizabeth Shogren, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed J. Leon Holmes to the U.S. District Court in Arkansas after an emotional debate over the nominee's positions on abortion, women's rights, race and separation of church and state.

Holmes, whose appointment was approved 51 to 46, faced intense criticism from Democrats and quiet disapproval from some Republicans. Holmes has said that "the wife is to subordinate herself to the husband" and asserted, when arguing against abortion, that conceptions from rape were as rare as "snowfall in Miami."

Six Democrats joined all but five Republicans in supporting Holmes' nomination. Holmes is the first of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees to come to a floor vote in the Senate.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the top-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called Holmes one of the most "intolerant" nominees ever considered by the Senate. He accused Bush of nominating someone who would pursue his antiabortion agenda and other conservative causes from the bench.

more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judge7jul07,1,697141.story?coll=la-home-nation

[DarkPhenyx]

1. Well, that is what Presidents tend to do.

Judicial appointments are made now days with an eye toward pushing forward their agenda long after they have left office. It is the way of the political world.

I don't blame, or even deride, Bush for doing this.

[tandot]

2. "the wife is to subordinate herself to the husband"

:puke:

I don't even know what to say about that. I am fuming :mad:

Another idiot who should have received the Darwin award BEFORE he was able to procreate.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

3. Who were those six Democrats?

And will their security staff take bribes?

[graywarrior]

4. Yeah, who are the 6 dems?

and why are they not republicans?

[sendero]

5. From the NYT...

"In addition to Senators Lincoln and Pryor, the Democrats who supported the nomination included Zell Miller of Georgia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and John B. Breaux and Mary L. Landrieu, both of Louisiana."

[Gothmog]

6. Why was this idiot not filibustered??

Leon Holmes is an idiot and we had the votes to filibuster his nomination. Why was this nomination allowed to come up for a vote??

One reason could be that this guy is such an idiot that Senator Kerry can use him as an example. While this may be a valid reason, I would had preferred that the Democrats filibustered Holmes' nomination.

[dansolo]

7. They were probably told not to filibuster

The spineless jokers in the DLC probably didn't want to have Bush be able to bring up the obstructionist canard.

[peterh]

8. Our distinguished minority leader cut a deal…

A while back….no more filibusters in return for no more recess appointments….x(

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37694-2004May18.html

President, Senate Reach Pact on Judicial Nominations