Frist Won’t Budge on Filibuster Demands

04/28/2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - With a showdown looming, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist refused to budge Thursday on his demand that Democrats forego filibusters against all of President Bush’s past or present nominees to federal appellate court benches or the Supreme Court.

Frist offered to retain the right to filibuster district court nominees in exchange for 100 hours of debate and guaranteed confirmation votes on the nation’s highest judgeships.

The Senate’s top Republican also said that under his plan, senators would no longer be able to block nominees in the Judiciary Committee.

“Judicial nominees are being denied. Justice is being denied. The solution is simple, allow senators to do their jobs and vote,” Frist said in a speech on the Senate floor.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would look at Frist’s offer, but wasn’t all that charitable in his description. “It’s a big wet kiss to the far right,” he said.

Democrats blocked 10 of Bush’s appellate court choices through filibuster threats, which means those nominees would have to get 60 votes in the 100-member before they could be confirmed to lifetime seats on the federal appellate courts that stand second only to the Supreme Court in the chain of judicial command. Democrats have threatened to block again the seven that Bush renominated this year, as well as future ones they consider outside of the mainstream of legal thinking.

Republicans in turn have threatened to use their majority to change senatorial rules to require a simple majority vote for confirmation, in part because they fear a Democratic blockade could affect a Supreme Court vacancy if a high court seat opens in Bush’s second term.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada earlier this week made Frist his own offer.

It included allowing confirmation votes for three nominees for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - Richard Griffin, David McKeague and Susan Neilson - in exchange for Henry Saad’s nomination to that court being withdrawn. Democrats also would not block confirmation of one of the four remaining filibustered nominees: Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William Myers and William Pryor, although it is not clear which one would be chosen for confirmation.

Reid also called for giving senators more power over appointment of judges from their state as well as the creation of a task force, made up of former senators, to recommend improvements in the confirmation process.

Frist said previously that he would not accept any offer that lets Democrats filibuster past or future judicial nominees. And Reid said he would not accept any deal that keeps Democrats from blocking future nominees.