by Samantha Berkovits
Mary Geiger Lewis was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina by a 64-27 vote. The votes of South Carolina’s Republican Senators were split, with Sen. Graham voting for her nomination and Sen. DeMint against. Lewis is the first woman from South Carolina to be confirmed to the federal bench during President Obama’s term and she received the support of all five female Republican Senators.
dge Brian Davis has been reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He currently sits on the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida and has been nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) has, as he has for many recent nominees, opposed Davis’s nomination. Grassley has cited specific remarks referring to race that the African American judge has made in the past as reason to believe that Davis will bring a bias in favor of African Americans to the bench and his nomination should be blocked, though he admits that “I am not accusing Judge Davis of violating any Canon or of unprofessional conduct.”Senate Republicans have announced plans to invoke the so-called “Thurmond Rule” and block nominations of all federal appeals court nominees between now and the November election. But Republicans including Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Democrats led by Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and the American Bar Association have all pushed back against the move to block consensus nominees.”
The Latest from “In the News”
- “Chuck Grassley, Marco Rubio at Odds Over Judge,” Roll Call
- “Key changes to the Utah federal court judiciary team,” Deseret News
- “Grassley defends GOP decision to block circuit court nominees,” The Hill
The Latest from “Recommended Readings”
- “‘Tis the Season for the Thurmond Rule,” The Washington Monthly
- “Could Sri Srinivasan be the First Indian-American SCOTUS Justice?” FindLaw
- “Sen. Robert Menendez makes a costly mistake for N.J.,” New Jersey Star Ledger
- Congressman Michaud on Judicial Nominations
- Sen. Menendez on Republican Judicial Nominee Obstruction
- Sen. Leahy on Republican Obstruction to Consensus Nominees
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