"TRIFECTA":

Senate Approves Pryor for Appeals Court (JESSE J. HOLLAND, 6/09/05, Associated Press)

The GOP-controlled Senate on Thursday approved former Alabama Attorney General William Pryor and Michigan nominees David McKeague and Richard Griffin for seats on the U.S. Appeals Court, completing an unprecedented run of long-delayed judicial confirmations. [...]

The Senate confirmed three of President Bush's most-wanted appellate nominees in less than three weeks after Senate centrists looking to avoid a partisan battle over judicial filibusters struck a deal.

Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen all had been waiting at least two years for Senate confirmation. Democrats have blocked the nominations of judges they consider too conservative.

Democrats had blocked Griffin and McKeague because Michigan's senators were upset at Republicans for refusing to confirm President Clinton's nominees to that court. While the two were not part of the filibuster deal, Democrats decided to allow them through as a gesture of good will. [...]

Democrats had fought to keep Pryor from getting a permanent judgeship. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., sued to get Pryor removed because he felt Bush's recess appointment was illegal. The courts rejected Kennedy's argument.

"After the president didn't get his way with William Pryor, he took the truly extraordinary step of making a recess appointment," said Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y. "So while the renomination of rejected judges was a thumb in the eye, the recess appointment of Bill Pryor was a punch in the face." [...]

"This is truly the trifecta on civil rights here this week in Washington, to confirm Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor and to report Terrence Boyle from this committee," said Sen. Richard Durbin (news, bio, voting record) of Illinois, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat. "When it comes to the issue of civil rights, it's a sad week."

Mr. Schumer needs to get with the times--there's nothing "extraordinary" about any of these judges.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 9, 2005 8:23 PM