Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of William Myers to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Myers, whose nomination was filibustered last year, won on a 10 - 8 party line vote.
This Reuters quote from Arlen Specter is a bit of an understatement:
"The real battle will be on the floor," Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said of the mounting showdown over renominated judicial candidates.Basically, the stage is set for a battle over the Republican's use of the so-called "nuclear option." That's when they change the rules to end the filibuster for judicial nominations.
Harry Reid has already drawn the line in the sand on this one. And, I get the strong sense from Reid, that he and his colleagues are not backing down. Good.
Game on.
