WASHINGTON — Some of the people President Barack Obama is considering for the Supreme Court got significant support from Republicans when they were last before the Senate seeking jobs in the judiciary or executive branches of government. But a yes vote then doesn’t necessarily mean a yes vote now.
"I’d say the stakes are higher for the Supreme Court,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Obama will soon nominate a successor to Justice David Souter, who will retire next month.
The people Obama is considering include Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, U.S. Appeals Court judges Diane Wood and Sonia Sotomayor and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, officials have said.
Of that list, all but Granholm have been voted on before by the Senate and all have been confirmed with Republican votes. Wood and Napolitano got votes from every Republican in the chamber when they came before the Senate.
But getting unanimous approval from the Senate for a lower position does not guarantee a smooth ride to the Supreme Court.
"The stakes are so much different. The fact that someone has received approval for the Courts of Appeal doesn’t mean that the same senator would vote for the person for the Supreme Court,” said Jeffrey A. Segal, co-author of the book "Advice and Consent: The Politics of Appointing Federal Judges.”
by the associated press
No comments:
Post a Comment