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41 Senate Republicans Send Letter To President Obama Urging Consultation On Judicial Nominees
http://republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=blogs.view&blog_id=3c522434-76e5-448e-9ead-1ec214b881ac ^ | March 2, 2009

Posted on 03/02/2009 8:46:11 PM PST by cc2k

41 Senate Republicans Send Letter To President Obama Urging Consultation On Judicial Nominees

March 2, 2009


President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.  20500


Dear Mr. President:

We look forward to working with you as you consider nominees for the federal judiciary.  Unfortunately, the judicial appointments process has become needlessly acrimonious.  We would very much like to improve this process, and we know you would as well.  It is in that spirit that we write early on to suggest two steps your Administration can take to achieve that shared goal.  

First, in the beginning of his Administration, your predecessor demonstrated his desire to improve the judicial confirmation process by nominating to the circuit courts two of President Clinton’s previous judicial nominees, Judge Barrington Parker to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Roger Gregory to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  It would help change the tone in Washington if your Administration would take the same bipartisan step.  Because the last Congress sadly set the modern record for the fewest circuit court confirmations in a President’s final Congress, there are plenty of well-qualified nominees with bipartisan support from whom to choose.  For example, Peter Keisler has been praised repeatedly by colleagues in both the public and private sector, Democrats and Republicans, and has earned accolades from major media observers, like The Washington Post.  And Judges Glen Conrad and Paul Diamond both enjoyed bipartisan support and have outstanding records on the federal trial bench.


Second, as our Democratic colleagues have emphasized for the last several years, the process of federal appointments is a shared constitutional responsibility.  We respect your responsibility to nominate suitable candidates for the federal bench.  And as a former colleague, we know you appreciate the Senate’s unique constitutional responsibility to provide or withhold its Advice and Consent on nominations.  The principle of senatorial consultation (or senatorial courtesy) is rooted in this special responsibility, and its application dates to the Administration of George Washington.  Democrats and Republicans have acknowledged the importance of maintaining this principle, which allows individual senators to provide valuable insights into their constituents’ qualifications for federal service. 

We hope your Administration will consult with us as it considers possible nominations to the federal courts from our states.  Regretfully, if we are not consulted on, and approve of, a nominee from our states, the Republican Conference will be unable to support moving forward on that nominee.  Despite press reports that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee now may be considering changing the Committee’s practice of observing senatorial courtesy, we, as a Conference, expect it to be observed, even-handedly and regardless of party affiliation.  And we will act to preserve this principle and the rights of our colleagues if it is not.      


Because of the profound impact that life-tenured federal judges can have in our society, the Founders made their appointment a shared constitutional responsibility.  We look forward to working with you to discharge this important duty in the best interest of our country.


Sincerely,
All Republican Senators


Cc: The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy



###
SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
 


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: activistcourts; activistjudges; bho2009; cloture; judicialnominees; judicialtyranny; judiciarycommittee; nuclearoption; obama; obstruction; payback; present
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To: Choose Ye This Day

21 posted on 03/02/2009 9:51:53 PM PST by Syncro (Play by the rules and you're gonna miss all the fun--Jacky Don Tucker (Toby Keith)
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To: cc2k

I won’t flame you. That letter reeked of twice chewed milquetoast.


22 posted on 03/02/2009 9:56:28 PM PST by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender!)
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To: cc2k

I wonder if they really sent this letter.


23 posted on 03/02/2009 9:58:46 PM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: cc2k
To me, this letter is worthless. It is not like the Republicans are going to oppose any nominee. Just like in the past they'll gladly vote for confirmation on anyone 0bama nominates. Just as they did not challenge the tax cheat Geithner, why would they challenge a full blown socialist?

When 0bama says "no" to there request, they will turn and walk away with their tails between their legs.

24 posted on 03/02/2009 10:01:55 PM PST by crazyhorse46
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To: cc2k

Did they also send their Christmas wish to 0? Other than the earmarks he’s bribing some of the rinos with.


25 posted on 03/02/2009 10:21:28 PM PST by ABQHispConservative (In 2010, we fix this mess.)
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To: Choose Ye This Day; cc2k; All
"The Pres__ent. I like that. Gets them back for the 8 years of the leftists’ childish “resident Bush” nonsense."

"Pres__ent Obama, the Kenyan Keynesian.

My FR tagline:

Until I see a REAL C.O.L.B. BC,

he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = without "ID"

26 posted on 03/02/2009 10:34:43 PM PST by musicman (Until I see a REAL C.O.L.B. BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: Redbob

I didn’t think there were 41 Republican Senators even counting those three?


27 posted on 03/02/2009 10:44:14 PM PST by tallyhoe
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To: WheresMyBailout

Liberal justices retire before 2012? You mean conservative judges right!


28 posted on 03/02/2009 10:46:01 PM PST by tallyhoe
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To: Dilbert San Diego

> I think there is a procedure in the Senate by which Senators from the state of the judge nominee can block the nomination, also.

I thought that practice was dropped awhile ago?


29 posted on 03/02/2009 10:47:27 PM PST by mquinn (Obama's supporters: a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise)
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To: tallyhoe

The conservative justices won’t ... they’re too young. If a liberal retire, Obama has the option to put in a much younger justice.


30 posted on 03/02/2009 10:49:15 PM PST by WheresMyBailout
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To: cc2k

What was that B HO said before when they supposedly try to sway him?

“I WON!”

Perhaps they should begin letting everyone know how many Bush appointees never saw an up or down vote.

But of course, they would have to discover that bumpy thing running up and down their backs, a spine.

After their performance the last few years, I’m not holding my breath on any of them actually making a strong stand.


31 posted on 03/02/2009 10:57:08 PM PST by DakotaRed (Don't you wish you had supported a conservative when you had the chance?)
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To: cc2k

P.S. However, should you decide to name a unhinged, far left, openly Marxist nut to the court instead, only about 3 or 4 of us will have the guts to oppose his/her nomination.

Signed,

All Republican Senators


32 posted on 03/02/2009 10:57:53 PM PST by BillyBoy (Impeach Obama? Yes We Can!)
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To: musicman

“PRES__ENT” Obama = without “ID”

Nice :)


33 posted on 03/02/2009 11:08:49 PM PST by OldTCS (Obama & Co. put all other OPMer's to shame!!!)
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To: papasmurf

2012

Oh fine, then the world ends. It figures.


34 posted on 03/02/2009 11:10:19 PM PST by OldTCS (Obama & Co. put all other OPMer's to shame!!!)
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To: cc2k

What’s this supposed to do, make him die laughing?

Nice to do something to let him know your’e not a bunch of cows but geez, why don’t you just put on knee pads and crawl down Pennsylvania Ave?


35 posted on 03/02/2009 11:14:24 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (Get the bats and light the hay)
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To: cc2k

HEy you stupid GOP’ers, RINO’s, and LIB LITES... do just what they did to us... FILIBUSTER EVERY nominee. Until you get nominees that are so conservative they make Reagan look like a MODERATE.

the DEMS made sure that law was there.. and the 14 RINO’s made sure it STAYED THERE .. (thank you RINO McLAME)


36 posted on 03/03/2009 1:42:58 AM PST by gwilhelm56 (WE THE PEOPLE Demand TALK RADIO to be our 1st Amendment MEDIA WATCHDOG!!!)
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To: cc2k

Obama’s idea of ‘consultation on judicial nominees’ will consist of Obama inviting a few Republicans to a White House party to convince them to vote in support of Cornel West for Supreme Court Justice.


37 posted on 03/03/2009 2:23:52 AM PST by Hoodat (For the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.)
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To: cc2k
What was the quote from Obama when the GOP leaders met with him in the White House? Paraphrase - “I won, so I get the say” <—something like that ....what a child and he is in charge of our COUNTRY.

HEY GOP, forget BIPARTISANSHIP as long as PELOSI and REID CONTROL CONGRESS. Without Congress, OBAMA Will cram his socialistic agenda down every Americans throat whether we like it or not.

38 posted on 03/03/2009 3:33:29 AM PST by Paige ("All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing," Edmund Burke)
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To: cc2k
-- This letter sounds like the Republican Senators are a bunch of whiners. --

They are.

I'd like to remind them that Senator Frist left some of GWB's nominees stranded without Senate votes (for months!), even though they had been approved and voted out of the Judiciary Committee.

Meanwhile, the GOP should use the rules that the DEMS established as acceptable, regarding judicial nominees. Obstruct via abuse of cloture.

39 posted on 03/03/2009 3:46:06 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: cc2k
Obama should pay as much attention to this as Bush did to the suggestions from Democrat Senators that he consult with them first about judicial nominees. If Republicans wanted more input on judicial nominees, they should have run a stronger candidate, a better campaign and won the Presidential election.

Yep. As Dear Leader has already told them, "I won." It sucks to be the losers.

Oh well, maybe if they band together against Rush some more, then Obama will listen to them.

40 posted on 03/03/2009 3:50:03 AM PST by Future Snake Eater ("Get out of the boat and walk on the water with us!”--Sen. Joe Biden)
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