Southern Republicans have used parliamentary maneuvers to block approval of a highly qualified African-American ... a handful of Senators from the old Confederacy ...While Louis Butler is unquestionably highly qualified to the federal judiciary, I fail to see how labeling his detractors a gaggle of unreconstructed white supremacists advances his cause at all.
No serious observer doubts that, were Obama to nominate a white male who was less qualified and less committed to a constitutionally based application of the rule of law, the Senate would move quickly to confirm the president’s pick.
True, Jefferson Sessions is an insufferable dingbat and he and his Republican colleagues' obstruction of Louis Butler's nomination is borderline irrational, but the Capital Times's desire to relitigate the U.S. Civil War fails to account for the Senate confirmations of Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., Andre M. Davis, or James A. Wynn, Jr.,* all of whom are African-American judges.
Those are some of President Obama's nominees to the Circuit Courts of Appeals. The Capital Times's editors can do — and should have done — their own homework with respect to the District Courts.
* Marquette 79.
he and his Republican colleagues' obstruction of Louis Butler's nomination is borderline irrational
ReplyDeleteIt's perfectly rational. As long as Butler is on a bench somewhere, doing a great job and enjoying the respect of his peers, it will be a permanent reminder of the shame of Mike Gableman and the Republican players who hey-presto'd him into his current position.
Much, much better for WI Repubs if Butler disappears from the judging business; as an alternative to attributing irrationality, consider the hypothesis that they have called one in from Sessions and co.
I could be very wrong, but wasn't the Butler nomination dropped as a part of a deal to move forward other confirmations?
ReplyDeleteAnd, is it also true that the senators a state--in this case two republicans--are usually given the chance to reject any candidate/nominee in a process called, I think, blue sheeting? Since Butler was rejected for office by the voters of wisconsin--and you may argue unwisely--isn't it reasonable that the nomination should therefore be dead? I would only argue that Johnson and Sensenbrenner should kill it, not some southern republicans.
respectfully submitted,
Patrick
Wasn't the Butler nomination dropped as a part of a deal to move forward other confirmations?
ReplyDeleteOn December 20, yes, and then resubmitted with another batch of nominees (including the other three who were part of that deal: Liu, Chen, and McConnell) on January 5.
Since Butler was rejected for office by the voters of Wisconsin, isn't it reasonable that the nomination should therefore be dead?
I don't think so. Winning State elections is not among any qualifications to the federal bench that I'm aware of. Having presided over a State trial court and served on the State Supreme Court, on the other hand, certainly is.
As for the election, Butler won the aggregate vote in the counties that comprise the federal Western District, so according to his critics' own reasoning, those Wisconsinites within that federal jurisdiction do want Butler on the bench.
Furthermore, Wisconsinites overwhelmingly wanted Shirley Abrahamson returned to the Supreme Court and her jurisprudence is at least equally as "liberal" as Butler's (in fact, during Butler's tenure she was more likely to "side with the criminal," as the GOP/WMC bullshit merchants would have it).
So the Republicans' argument is paltry.
Sensenbrenner, as a member of the House, has no say on any judicial nominations. I hope Ron Johnson says some more stuff. He's always good for a laugh (Johnson wasn't a member of the Senate on January 5, but he complained about not being consulted anyway).
Consider the hypothesis that they have called one in from Sessions and co.
ReplyDeleteSomething like that. At Butler's first hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Sessions was reading from scraps of paper handed to him by aides. He had no idea who Butler was, let alone any familiarity with Butler's lengthy career as a judge and a litigator. In a word, clueless.
Did Ed Garvey write that piece? He's been playing the race card a lot lately.
ReplyDeleteOf the unprecedented (correct me if I'm wrong) number of Obama's judicial appointees being held up by Republicans, I'm guessing most of them are white.