Looks like the GOP is making the move to force the Dems to put up a fight. Won't be long now before it gets ugly. Should be fun to watch.
Quote:
Republicans on Thursday cleared the first of President Bush's blocked judicial nominees for Senate approval, a move that Democrats say could lead to a filibuster confrontation that could shut the chamber down. The GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee on a 10-8 party line vote agreed to send the nomination of former Interior lawyer William Myers to the full Senate for approval.
While Republicans say Myers, who now is in practice as a private lawyer in Boise, Idaho, would make a good judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Democrats claimed that he is too anti-environment.
Democrats blocked Myers's nomination during the last Congress, and say they will do the same this year. "The Myers nomination is likely to be used as the trigger for the nuclear option," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
Republicans have threatened to change the Senate rules to stop Democrats from blocking judicial nominees, a move Democrats have dubbed the "nuclear option" because they say it would blow up Senate relations.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada on Tuesday threatened to cripple Senate operations if Republicans tried to stop them from filibustering Myers and other court nominations.
The Myers nomination will not be considered by the full chamber until after senators return from their Easter recess.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp.../senate_judges