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Feinstein’s Vote Sends Southwick Nomination to Floor |
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) provided the winning margin Thursday when she joined all Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to send Leslie Southwick’s nomination to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to the Senate floor.
Southwick’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the appeals court is opposed by the AFL-CIO and a wide range of civil rights, women’s, consumer and other groups. The opposition centers on his rulings and writings on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where he has ruled overwhelmingly against workers and consumers and in favor of business interests. (Click here for a detailed look at Southwick’s record and here to read the AFL-CIO’s letter to the Judiciary Committee.)
Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says Southwick’s:
legal writing also points to a narrow view of the role of federal courts in upholding protections against race discrimination….I have questions whether he would be balanced in protecting the rights of employees given the overwhelming number of cases–160 out of 180 written decisions–in which he has offered a narrow interpretation of the law to favor protecting business and corporate interests at the expense of rights of workers and consumers.
At yesterday’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) noted that in his earler testimony, Southwick couldn’t recall one time when he had ruled in favor of a worker or consumer. And that, said Durbin, “was a softball question.”
Feinstein’s deciding vote drew heavy criticism. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) told the Congressional Quarterly, “We want to say to Sen. Feinstein, ‘We shall not forget’.”
Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, says the committee vote:
was a slap in the face of African Americans and people of goodwill. His views on workplace discrimination are at best questionable and at worst indifferent to the dignity of minority workers.
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The witch also voted to give the chimp more surveillance authority to spy on ALL Americans WITHOUT A WARRANT. She was one of 16 democrats who did so. SHAME SHAME SHAME on Feinstein. I hope she goes down in defeat in her next election.
Whether right or wrong, this nomination gets a VOTE which is the main thing in a Democracy. Now it’s up to the Senate to vote to make the final decision. This is only fair. There are too many judges’ seats vacant over petty squabling by the politicians by not at least allowing a democratic vote.
Labor endorsed this conservative millionaire despite her anti-worker votes and her Bush-lite politics. She is the poster child for why we need our own party. She and her corporate democrat cohorts need to be thrown out of office, not supported by union members’ dues.
“The bitter fight over judicial confirmations threatens the quality and the independence of the judiciary. The mean-spiritedness and lack of civility reduces the pool of nominees willing to offer themselves for service on the bench.” –Judge Charles Pickering