Senate OKs pro-life judge, falls short on four nominees
- Jun 15, 2004 - comment
The U.S. Senate confirmed a nominee to a federal judgeship in Arkansas in spite of opposition from abortion-rights and feminist organizations, but Democrats added to the number of appeals court judges they are filibustering.
In a 51-46 vote July 6, the Senate confirmed J. Leon Holmes to the Eastern District Court in Arkansas. Opponents charged Holmes was unsuitable for the federal bench because of his pro-life advocacy. Holmes had served as president of Arkansas Right to Life. Critics also portrayed him as anti-woman, citing in particular an article his wife, Susan, and he wrote in 1997 for a Roman Catholic publication. In it, they wrote “the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church; and as the Church subordinates herself to Christ, in that manner the wife is to subordinate herself to her husband.”
While one of Bush’s highly contested nominees cleared confirmation, Senate Democrats continued to block confirmation votes on some of his appellate nominees.
On July 20 and 22, Democrats upheld filibusters on a nominee from Idaho and three nominees from Michigan. Supporters of the nominees achieved a majority in the Senate but failed to reach the 60-vote minimum needed to invoke cloture and halt filibusters.
The July 20 vote was 53-44 for William Myers of Idaho. Bush nominated him to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The July 22 votes were 54-44 for Richard Griffin, 53-44 for David McKeague and 52-46 for Henry Saad. All are selections for the Sixth Circuit.
The Democrats have maintained their filibusters of Janice Rogers Brown, a District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals nominee; Carolyn Kuhl, a Ninth Circuit selection; and Priscilla Owen, a Fifth Circuit nominee.
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