Senate Debate

The debate over the blocking of votes on judges has started in the Senate.  From The New York Times:

In his opening remarks, Dr. Frist said Democrats had "radically" altered the traditions of the Senate by blocking votes on 10 of 45 appeals court candidates put forward by Mr. Bush. Even as a bipartisan group of senators sought to head off a climactic vote, Dr. Frist said the filibuster must be brought to a halt either by allowing the Senate to decide the nominations or changing the rules to ban such tactics. "We must restore the 214-year-old principle that every judicial nominee with majority support deserves an up-or-down vote," Dr. Frist said.

Washington Times on yesterday's Senate debate on judges:

At 9:47 a.m., the presiding officer ordered a close to the quarreling and called up Justice Owen -- thus beginning the debate that appears increasingly likely to end in the deployment of the so-called nuclear option.
    In addition to Justice Owen, senators also discussed the nomination of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, although her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was not officially called to the floor.
    Republicans portrayed the nominees as highly accomplished, well-qualified jurists who were retained on their respective courts with higher vote margins than any other justices running in those elections.
    "Janice Rogers Brown can get 76 percent of the vote in California, and Priscilla Owen can get 84 percent of the vote in Texas, but neither can get a vote to be confirmed in the Senate," said Mr. Frist, answering Democratic arguments that the nominees are "out of the mainstream."
    "Are 76 percent of Californians and 84 percent of Texans out of the mainstream?" he wondered. "Denying Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen a vote is what's out of the mainstream."