www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/21/filibuster.fight.ap/index.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans on Thursday moved closer to a showdown wit h Democrats over filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees, send ing two judges under dispute to the full Senate. The GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee on identical 10-8 partisan votes gave its approval to Texas judge Priscilla Owen and California jud ge Janice Rogers Brown, who were nominated by Bush for lifetime judgeshi ps on the regional US appeals courts, the nation's second-highest cour ts. Owen wants to work on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orlean s and Brown wants a seat on the US Circuit Court of Appeals in the Dis trict of Columbia. They were blocked from confirmation by Democratic fil ibuster threats during Bush's first term but were renominated by the pre sident after he won a second term in November. Democrats say they will block the nominations again because they are too conservative. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, has threatened to ban judicial filibusters to stop Democrats from blocking the judges again, and has been working to secure the 50 votes he needs from his Republican caucus to make the rules change. It requires 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. In an attempt to make Republicans reconsider that plan, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has vowed to slow or halt Senate action on much routi ne business if Frist follows through with his threat to force up-and-dow n votes in which nominees could be confirmed by a bare majority of the 1 00-member Senate. Republicans defended Owen and Brown, saying they were fine judges and Dem ocrats broke with Senate tradition by threatening to filibuster their no minations. Owen "deserves to be confirmed and she deserves the professional courtesy of an up or down vote," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who served on t he Texas Supreme Court with Owen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Brown's home state, said Brown was the type of judge the country needs, who has "a reverence for our Constitut ion, who will approach these issues with independence, an open mind, a l ot of common sense, a willingness to work hard and an ability to communi cate clearly and effectively." Democrats have promised to continue to block the nominees they held up du ring Bush's first term. Democrats blocked 10 judicial nominees from conf irmation through filibuster threats. Democrats called Brown and Owen judicial activists who should be stopped before they get lifetime appointments. "The nomination of Janice Rogers Brown is a prime example of a nominee who sees the federal bench as a pl atform to advance her own extremist views," said Sen. And Owen "is an example of a judge who is very eager to make law from the bench," said Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the committee's top Democra t North Carolina judge Terrence W Boyle, a former aide to retired Sen. Jes se Helms, R-North Carolina, who expected a committee vote as well, was h eld over after Kennedy requested extra time to review some of his ruling s as a US District judge. Boyle was never filibustered by Democrats be cause his nomination was blocked in committee by then-North Carolina Sen . Another of Bush's blocked nominees, Idaho lawyer William Myers, already h as been approved by the Judiciary Committee. But conservatives would rat her see the final showdown come over Brown, Owen or US Appeals Court J udge William Pryor, who was given a temporary appointment by Bush after he was blocked by Democrats. Pryor's nomination is expected to be advanced by the Judiciary Committee next week. Conservatives during the last Congress accused Democrats of being anti-mi nority for blocking Brown, who is black; anti-women for blocking Owen, a nd anti-Catholic for blocking Pryor. Activists plan a similar tactic this year, with Frist planning to deliver a taped message to Christian conservatives on April 24 saying Democrats are "against people of faith" for blocking Bush's nominees.
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