Dems Float Names of Hispanics for Court

Associated Press ^ | July 12, 2005 | DEB RIECHMANN and DAVID ESPO

[RWR8189]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Top Senate Democrats floated the names of potential candidates for the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a meeting with President Bush, describing them as the type of nominee who could avoid a fierce confirmation battle.

Several officials familiar with the discussion said Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Ed Prado of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, both of whom are Hispanic, were among the names mentioned as Bush met with key lawmakers from both parties to discuss the first high court vacancy in 11 years.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, noting a commitment by those involved not to discuss names.

Bush was noncommittal about his choice to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has resigned effective with the confirmation of her successor. "I'm going to be deliberate in the process," he told reporters at the White House.

Bush "didn't give us any names" Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said after the session had broken up.

Besides Reid, Bush met with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the committee; and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Also in the room was Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Chief of Staff Andy Card.

The administration has consulted widely with Democrats in the 10 days since O'Connor announced her plans to resign, and the early morning session at the White House was part of that effort.

The meeting came at a time when the president is under pressure from conservatives who want a court that will reverse precedent on rulings on abortion rights, affirmative action, homosexual rights and other social issues. Some conservatives have criticized Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, for example, questioning whether he would vote to overturn the landmark 1973 court ruling that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion. For their part, Democrats are urging Bush to seek a "consensus candidate," one who would win confirmation without a bitter struggle.

Democrats have relatively little leverage in purely numerical terms. Republicans hold 55 seats in the Senate and can confirm any of Bush's picks unless Democrats mount a filibuster. That would require 60 votes in the 100-member chamber.

Democrats have done extensive research on dozens of potential replacements for O'Connor. Officials said that Leahy suggested the names of Sotomayor and Prado and others.

According to an official government Web site, Sotomayor was named a U.S. District Court judge in 1991 by former President George H.W. Bush, the president's father, and confirmed in August 1992. President Clinton nominated her for a seat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1997, and she was confirmed in 1998.

President Reagan nominated Prado to a seat on the U.S. District Court in 1984. The current President Bush picked him for his current post in 2003, and he was confirmed on a vote of 97-0.

[RWR8189]

It will be the office of the President to NOMINATE, and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to APPOINT. There will, of course, be no exertion of CHOICE on the part of the Senate. They may defeat one choice of the Executive, and oblige him to make another; but they cannot themselves CHOOSE, they can only ratify or reject the choice of the President. They might even entertain a preference to some other person, at the very moment they were assenting to the one proposed, because there might be no positive ground of opposition to him; and they could not be sure, if they withheld their assent, that the subsequent nomination would fall upon their own favorite, or upon any other person in their estimation more meritorious than the one rejected. Thus it could hardly happen, that the majority of the Senate would feel any other complacency towards the object of an appointment than such as the appearances of merit might inspire, and the proofs of the want of it destroy.

Federalist No. 66

[neodad]

he was confirmed on a vote of 97-0.

All I need to know about Prado.

[NormsRevenge]

Personally.. I'd go with..

Janice Rogers Brown..

Michael Luttig..

Edith Hollan Jones..

---
The dems are doing what they do best, pandering for votes.

[Dr.Hilarious]

It's interesting how the party that tries to convince everyone that we're in a pure democracy--that if Bush rejects their suggestions he's somehow not "including" them in something they have no part of--keeps flailing away to no visible result. I have complaints about how the republicans have done some things in the last few years, but I can't see how anything they've done wrong has really benefitted the dems. The Democrat party truly is the whining-till-they-get-something party.

[Tax Government]

I heard McCain and he sounded like a mad hardass this time. Elections have consequences, he said. The President will nominate, and then get an up-and-down vote in the Senate, not a filibuster.

What McCain didn't say, but what we all know, is that DEMOCRATS ARE SCUMMIER THAN SLIME.

[AntiGuv]

Sonia Sotomayor was regarded as John Kerry's likely #1 choice for the Supreme Court..

[John Lenin]

Don't you have to win a few elections and be in charge to name court picks ?

The RATS live in total denial of their situation.

[AntiGuv]

PS. There's a DraftPrado website, fwiw.

[Echo Talon]

IF we must have a Hispanic whats wrong with Miguel Estrada?

[REDWOOD99]

"The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.."

I'm shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, to find that the dems are leaking to the press!

[doug from upland]

I'd love to see this Hispanic on the court --

[LibertarianInExile]

Yep. I got a digit the Rats can all "float" on, right back at `em.

[AntiGuv]

BTW, I read in some other articles that the Dems also recommended U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Hinojosa as an option. Although that sounds like a kiss of death, I've seen his name bandied about before as a potential replacement for Rehnquist, and he's supposedly regarded as a conservative. I don't know much else about him, except that he chairs the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

[pepperhead]

Sonia Sotomayor? The dims were floating her name in 2004 if Kerry won. They got to be kidding.

http://www.civilrights.org/issues/nominations/details.cfm?id=25534 http://www.ouramericanvalues.org/glb_news_article.php?id=11010401 http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2004/vol8n44/Media3-en.shtml

[Jack Deth]

Dear Dumbocrats:

You LOST!!!

You do NOT get to pick Nominees!

The President DOES!

Jack.

[Mo1]

Well gosh Golly Gee .. wasn't that nice of the dems ..

[John Jorsett]

So, the Democrats are dictating the terms of Bush's surrender. The fact that the President even lets these arrogant horse's patoots into the White House just astounds me.

[CGVet58]

Golden Rule in this, as in all other matters regarding the body politic:

If the dhimmis like something, do the exact opposite.

[CGVet58]

Nothing. He's my #1 choice for reasons stated below:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1440218/posts?page=9#9

Am not sure, but I think Mr. Estrada may not want his name to be in consideration for this. But no bones about it, he would be the outstanding choice, followed by Janice Brown... let's see the 'diversity-open Tent' dhimmicrats try and explain opposing these two...

[ConservativeMan55]

I like Mr. Luttig.

Senator Coburn on Fox and Friends.