Brownback Setback
Just a quick update that Kansas Senator Sam Brownback has lifted his unethical, despicable and just plain silly block on a judicial nominee, Janet Neff, who had the audacity to attend a same-sex commitment ceremony. I commented on Brownback’s buffoonery previously.
Three post hoc hasty stitches:
–Whatever happened to the Gang of Fourteen? Or, for that matter, “They all deserve an up-or-down vote…”?
–Might now be a good time for the Senate to revisit this indefensible rule that any Senator may block any judicial nominee? My understanding is that there is an informal policy — an interbranch courtesy, if you will — that a sitting President will never nominate a District Court judge without first clearing it, sotto voce, with the two senators of the state in which the judicial District is located. I might — might — be comfortable with such an informal policy, so long as it remains informal.
But this Brownback garbage was something completely different. Judge Neff was nominated to a Michigan District; Brownback represents Kansas — the two states aren’t even in the same appellate Circuit!
–Two words: activist politician.
I will never — never — be more afraid of judges than of politicians. And I will always — always — be afraid of those who are.
More thoughts from PoliBlog, Althouse, Carpetbagger Report.
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