Frist Has Busy 1st Day As Majority Leader (Must Read Last 7 Paragraphs)

Associated Press ^ | 7 Jan 2003 | Alan Fram

[PhiKapMom]

Bush Renominates Pickering, Owen, Other Judges
By Jesse J. Holland Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 7, 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Tuesday renominated appellate court nominees Charles Pickering of Mississippi and Priscilla Owen of Texas, who were rejected by the Democrat-controlled Senate last year but will likely have a better shot of confirmation under the newly Republican-controlled chamber.
Pickering and Owen's nominations were returned to the Senate along with 28 other judicial nominations who were not considered by the full Senate last year. Pickering and Owen, however, were the only two who were specifically rejected last year by the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee.

"All judicial nominees deserve consideration by the full Senate," White House spokeswoman Ashley Snee said.

There was some question about whether Pickering, who was accused of being racially insensitive by Democrats, would be renominated after one of his patrons, Sen. Trent Lott, stepped down as Senate GOP leader after making racially insensitive remarks.

And Senate Democrats immediately pledged to do whatever they could to keep Pickering from getting a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, including a possible filibuster of the nomination.

"Unfortunately, they have not learned from the Trent Lott episodes and I am going to do everything I can to stop the Pickering nomination from going forward," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Pickering, a U.S. District judge in Hattiesburg, Miss., and a Lott friend, was blocked by Senate Democrats last year after civil rights groups accused him of racial insensitivity.

"Those accusations ring hollow," Snee said. "These nominees have earned bipartisan support and respect from those who know them."

Owen also was voted down by the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee last year while seeking a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Democrats complained that Owen has been an anti-abortion and pro-business judicial activist whose opinions and rulings were overly influenced by her personal beliefs.

After almost sweeping the November elections, Republicans - behind new Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee - now control the Senate by a 51-48-1 margin, with independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont voting with the Democrats.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, "is pleased that the president is acting as soon as possible on nominations. We have a lot of leftover work to do," spokeswoman Margarita Tapia said.

Pickering's opponents have said the White House should not renominate the Mississippi judge as punishment for Lott's comments.

Lott triggered an uproar last month when he said that Mississippians were proud to have voted for retired South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurman in 1948 on the pro-segregationist Dixiecrat ticket. "And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either," Lott said.

Lott said last month that he expected Pickering's opponents to invoke his name in opposition to the Mississippi judge. "Obviously people will try to use it against him," Lott said. "They used a lot of things against him last time that were very unfair."

Senate Democrats say Pickering's renomination shows the GOP did not learn anything from Lott's controversy.

"Given the encouraging rhetoric of this administration on civil rights over the last few weeks, it's astonishing that when it's time to match that rhetoric with real action they nominate Charles Pickering to serve on the second highest court in the nation," said Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Kennedy said Democrats "will use every tool in our arsenal to ensure that his nomination is rejected again this year."

Pickering was defeated 10-9 in committee last March after civil rights groups said he supported segregation as a young man in Mississippi. Pickering's opponents also pointed to his conservative voting record as a Mississippi state lawmaker and decisions as a judge.

Pickering's supporters, including some Mississippi Democrats and black leaders, said Pickering supported civil rights efforts as far back as the middle 1960s.

The Senate last year confirmed 100 of Bush's 131 appellate and district court nominees under Democratic control. Bush plans on making new judicial nominations before the end of April, Snee said. ^---

On the Net: Justice Department list of Bush appellate and district court nominees: http://www.usdoj.gov/olp/nominations.htm

AP-ES-01-07-03 2016EST

[Dog Gone]

Well, duh, it's higher per capita. When you find a way to hold medical costs flat, all entitlements flat, social security cost of living increases flat, and everything else, let us know. I guess we could even drastically cut those benefits for one election cycle.

We could probably build carriers equivalent to WWII carriers a LOT cheaper than we're building the Ronald Reagan. We could abandon all that neat satellite gizmo stuff that allows us to drop bombs on the enemy. We could skip that expensive Missile Defense system.

Absolutely, we could shrink government just like you want.

[nhoward14]

You'll need to find somebody else then. I am an electrical engineer, and I can only count to 1! LOL

[Joe Bonforte]

When you find a way to hold medical costs flat, all entitlements flat, social security cost of living increases flat, and everything else, let us know.

And when you find the place in the Constitution that give the federal government permission to be responsible for all that stuff, you let me know.

[Dog Gone]

You'd better win that argument in the courts, because you're not going to win it on the political battlefield.

[EODGUY]

I'm sure you heard, but during his interview with Britt Hume, Majority Leader Frist noted that President Bush sent approximately 30 nominations over to the Congress today.

I couldn't be happier if Santa had brought me the 1966 Corvette I've been asking for since 1967.

Great post!

[Ole Okie]

Just saw in an email that Pres Bush not only nominated Pickering but also Owens this afternoon along with 30+ others. Sure didn't waste any time!

Oh boy, this is going to be fun!

I have high hopes for Frist. Wait till he pitches an operating room tantrum and throws a surgical instrument at the RATS. ;^)

[Joe Bonforte]

You'd better win that argument in the courts, because you're not going to win it on the political battlefield.

I fear you are absolutely correct. If so, this nation will deteriorate in the next fifty years as we follow Europe into becoming an effectively-socialist welfare state. And based on this thread, it appears that it will happen under Republican administrations and Congresses.

[Bonaparte]

If he can just keep away from the cats, I suppose he'll be ok. :-)

Oh, they're screaming in agony over the cats but can't wait to suck the brains out of the next infant before he's even out of the birth canal.

[July 4th]

The Republican Congress: doing more in 2 hours than the Democrats did in 2 years.

[PhiKapMom]

Do believe the RATs made a huge mistake when they trashed Lott so much. Am I glad they did!

Boomer Sooner!

[Yaelle]

If trent would have checked his pom poms at the door of the senate bldg. he would have made a good leader.

Don't you mean, if he had any pom-poms at all??

And now he doesn't want to lose his taxpaid chauffeur...

[EODGUY]

Let the Schumers and Kennedys filabuster the nominations. This time it will be out of committee and on the senate floor for all to see. I'll put Rick Santorum or Mitch McConnell up against anyone the left has to offer

I believe the public in general is becoming more and more aware of the blatant partisanship and slanderous lies promulgated by the left.

[PhiKapMom]

Santorum and McConnell make a great pair. This is going to be fun to watch!

[Theodore R.]

It's OWEN, no "s."

[Theodore R.]

If Owen gets confirmed, it will be a slap in the faces of Senators Breaux and Landrieu because the appellate court for TX is based in NEW ORLEANS, which is 75 percent Democrat.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

DEMOCRATS OPPOSE EXTENDING SAFETY NET TO UNEMPLOYED

The headline that I would love to see in Wednesday's New York Times & Washington Post, but undoubtedly won't.

[EBUCK]

Sounds like a great guy! I never heard that stuff about him..

EBUCK

[falfa]

Pickering's opponents have said the White House should not renominate the Mississippi judge as punishment for Lott's comments.

As punishment for The Torch and Bill Clinton the Dems with now accept no gifts from anyone but Santa.

Oprah Winfrey's going to endow corporations as punishment for years of Jesse Jackson's extortion.

Hillary is going to have Bill's dog neutered as punishment for all the years of Bill's philandering.

Rosalyn Carter will be arrested by the fashion police as punishment for Hillary's abuse of Old Crusty.

[reformed_democrat]

Just curious -- who would be your choice for Senate Majority Leader, Speaker of the House, and President?