Sessions Calls For Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings To Be Pushed Into September
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the head Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, just spoke to reporters and said that Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings should be held in September -- that is, three months or more from now.
Sessions said that Sotomayor has had 4,000 cases as part of her 17-year record, that this whole record must be held up to review, and the process should not be rushed.
Said Sessions: "We've got until October 7, I believe, or the fifth, for the nominee to take office."
As I've previously pointed out, Republican calls for September hearings would take this process well beyond the timeframe that John Roberts and Samuel Alito both had for their confirmations -- which by themselves took place under complicated and convoluted circumstances.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Could this Sessions move somehow be tied into the Franken election?
June 2, 2009 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, I think they just want to assure that Sotomayor has no voice in selecting the cases that the Court will hear in the 2009-10 session. With Souter gone, that would leave the conservative coalition a free hand to set the Court's agenda for the next year.
The Supreme Court only hears a fraction of the cases that are appealed to it. Which cases are selected has as much influence on the direction the Court takes as the decisions rendered in the ones that they do hear.
June 2, 2009 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
slb,
thanks for the informative reply.
June 3, 2009 9:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
No and HELL NO
He's really looking for the Revolt of the Crazies to subside. He's trying to buy time so that the GOP leadership can take control of the process without alienating the base or further damaging their sorry
position with minorities and women
Tell em to hire Waxman's speed reader
June 2, 2009 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Our Senate is so damned tiring and incompetent. Have the hearings as quickly as possible and justify your existence with your questions and with your vote instead of your obstructionism (which I understand you Senators define as "clubbiness").
June 2, 2009 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Schedule the hearings when Sen. Leahy is ready. Follow past time frames and tell Sessions to ready to go or the hearings will go without him and the GOP Senators. What the hell was the election all about if Mr. Red Neck thinks he controls the committee's agenda and schedule. Screw these red neck assholes from the GOP!
June 2, 2009 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stall ball.
Leahy is the shot clock on this one.
June 2, 2009 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Funny how the minority thinks it gets to control the committee schedule- but only when the Democrats are in the majority. What's wrong with this picture?
June 2, 2009 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
A lot of people here seem to think the control it, too.
June 2, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you were in the Majority, Sen. Sessions, you could make the schedule.
But, you're not, so screw you.
June 2, 2009 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly.
Sorry Beauregard, but titanium-balled Pat Leahy is in charge of this one, not repug-fellating Harry Reid.
You're about to find out why very few Vermont parents name their children Beauregard.
June 2, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given his mediocre battle record, its not clear to me why southern parents would name their kids "Beuregard."
June 2, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's nearly as frilly as Lausch Faircloth.
June 2, 2009 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know that Beauregard's battle record was so mediocre. He was the victor at First Manassas, he nearly defeated Grant at Shiloh, and he held off an assault of 16,000 Federal troops with a 2,200-man force long enough for Lee's army to arrive and hold Petersburgh.
Beauregard was not well liked by his superiors, who found him deeply irritating, but he was most certainly considered a war hero in Louisiana and much of the deep South.
June 2, 2009 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Aaaak! Make that "Petersburg".
June 2, 2009 5:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's nice that the Republicans would like to push the hearing till September and get the most attention they can. But is it in any way up to them? Are they willing to filibuster till then? It would be great to watch them form a circular firing squad on this.
June 2, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Slave State Senator should be ignored.
June 2, 2009 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, essentially, Sessions is now complaining that Judge Sotomayor is TOO experienced because she has 4,000 cases that she presided over? Geesh. Morons.
June 2, 2009 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Plus Sotomeyer gets zero time to prep for the upcoming session and will be settling in during the early portion of session.
Way to spike the new person's effectiveness!!!
June 2, 2009 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Skip the trivia. Where did Judge Sotomayor eat lunch in DC?
See
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/here-comes-the-judge/
June 2, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I commmented on Brian's earlier post -
Session's really looking for the Revolt of the Crazies to subside. He's trying to buy time so that the GOP leadership can take control of the process without alienating the base or further damaging their sorry position with minorities and women
Leahy's cooperating
June 2, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
and drawing line in dirt at same time
Smart play
June 2, 2009 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Am I the only one who sees this subtext. It's OK to drag this out, there will still be time to confirm before next SCOTUS session. This appears to be an acknowledgment of her easy confirmation. Ibelieve, you have to figure she will receive something approaching 90-AYES with 10-NOES
June 2, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The hypocrisy of this is incredible. No shame at all...
June 2, 2009 6:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
They could delay it till 2010 and question her until Senator Kyl's tongue turns blue but they won't vote for her.
It is past time for Senate Democrats to kick some GOP butt.
June 2, 2009 6:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe the wingnuts will send Leahy some anthrax again like they did in 2001. Y'know, just to scare him.
June 2, 2009 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
they want to drag the process out as much as they can so the kooks have lots of time to make lots of noise (I guess they're still opeating under the delusion that this will help them win elections and support, when in fact these loons are losing support by the day..)
I think another reason is they want as much time as possible to use this nomination to continue to fleece their donor base.. (although I suspect sooner or later many right-wing donors will realize it makes no sense anymore to continue to pour money down this rathole.. I mean WHAT are they getting in return? surely many of them realize that ever since the fall of 2006 no amount of money can help the wingnuts and/or the GOP gain more political support or win elections anymore..)
June 2, 2009 11:56 PM | Reply | Permalink