Senate Republican leaders on Monday named Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.) to take over as ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, after former ranking member Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) last week announced his switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, the Washington Post reports. As the top Republican on the judiciary committee, Sessions will coordinate GOP opposition efforts as the committee evaluates President Obama's nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who last week announced plans to retire at the end of the court's term in June. Unlike Specter -- who supports abortion rights and is considered somewhat moderate -- Sessions is a "staunch conservative" who opposes abortion rights and believes judges should adhere to the original intent of the Constitution when making rulings, the Post reports (Kane, Washington Post, 5/5). According to the Des Moines Register, Sessions will serve as the ranking Republican on the judiciary committee for the remainder of the 111th Congress. Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), currently the senior Republican on the committee, will take over the post in 2011 if he is re-elected. Grassley currently is the ranking minority member on the Senate Finance Committee, and Senate rules prohibit members from serving as chair or ranking member of both key committees. GOP committee members on Monday endorsed Sessions and Grassley's arrangement, and the full Republican caucus is expected to approve the deal on Tuesday (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/5). Under the agreement, Sessions would become ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee when Grassley assumes the judiciary post (Drucker, Roll Call, 5/4).
Sessions Says Filibuster Not Under Consideration
According to the Post, Sessions will "take center stage" during the judicial confirmation process "at a time when Republicans have seen their ranks in the Senate decimated and the party lacks an obvious spokesman on legal matters" (Washington Post, 5/5). Sessions said that Republicans do not plan to filibuster Obama's nominee, adding that he is "inclined to think" that "there shouldn't be a filibuster except in case of extraordinary circumstances." However, Sessions also said he believes that "the minority party has a responsibility to establish and answer questions that are out there" and that he doesn't "mind tough questions of a nominee" (Raju/Isenstadt, Politico, 5/4).
According to the Post, Sessions' appointment provides Republicans with "an experienced hand" at confirmation battles, as he faced a nomination fight himself in 1986 when former President Reagan nominated him to serve as a U.S. District Judge. According to the Post, Sessions ultimately lost the nomination in a 10-8 committee vote, with Specter voting against him.
Obama Consults With Senators Over Selection Process
Obama on Tuesday called Specter and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former judiciary committee chair, to consult about the nomination process. Hatch after the conversation said Obama is "not going to pick some radical," adding that the president indicated he would pursue a "pragmatic" approach (Washington Post, 5/5). Hatch also said he expects Obama to select a nominee who supports abortion rights. According to Hatch, Obama did not name any specific candidates but suggested that he would discuss the people under consideration with Hatch at a later date (Babington, AP/Kansas City Star, 5/4). Specter said that the president "asked for recommendations, and I told him I would think it over and get back to him" (Stanton/Koffler, Roll Call, 5/5).
According to Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, Obama hopes to have his Supreme Court nominee seated by early October. "We're on a fairly tight timeline to probably get something done before Congress gets out of town in August," Gibbs said, adding that by late July "obviously this process has to be a decent ways down the field" (AP/Kansas City Star, 5/4).
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