by Nicole Flatow
The political “gamesmanship” that now characterizes the judicial nominations process is “not only frustrating but also destructive,” The Washington Post asserts in an editorial today.
As Senate obstruction reaches new heights, and holdups affect even the most noncontroversial trial court nominees, “cases grind to a halt and expenses for litigants soar as even relatively simple matters take an inordinate amount of time to resolve. The legitimacy of the courts is undermined,” the editorial explains.
Noting that President Obama has picked up the pace of his nominations, while the Senate failed to take a simple up-or-down vote on 20 nominees before leaving town early for their summer recess, the editorial puts the onus on Capitol Hill to fix this growing crisis.
Meanwhile, some on Capitol Hill have plans to escalate Senate obstruction, according to a recent report from The Daily Beast.
In the fall, Tea Party freshmen plan to “band together to oppose judicial nominees it believes are too favorable to increasing the size and influence of government, creating a standoff that could strain an already understaffed court system,” The Daily Beast reported earlier this month.
And that’s not all. They are also sticking around Washington this summer to prevent any formal recess and thus block President Obama from making recess appointments.
In a column for The National Law Journal this week, Catholic University law professor Victor Williams explains why these tactics not prevent Obama from making nominations.
To learn more about the judicial nominations crisis and follow developments, visit JudicialNominations.org.
Post new comment