Supreme Buzz: Senate Committee votes tomorrow

My e-mail in-box is filled with alerts urging me to call my senators and weigh in on the Supreme Court nomination of John Roberts, Bush's choice for chief justice. According to one action alert from Planned Parenthood, the lone woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is still undecided about hizzoner:

"The Senate Judiciary committee will vote this Thursday. Call Senator Feinstein TODAY! Senator Feinstein is still undecided about her position on John Roberts' nomination to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. EVERY PHONE CALL COUNTS! If you have already called, thank you. If not, this is your last chance to make a difference with Senator Feinstein."

(Note about California and legal abortion: Given Gov. Schwarzenegger's statement yesterday about Prop. 73, expect to see this issue again and again.)

Planned Parenthood remains opposed to Roberts' nomination according to the e-mail, which cites his "refusal to respond to direct questions about his commitment to protect, and not take away a woman's right to choose." This is the issue some women bloggers and their readers have taken on in the past 24 hours: Whether or not the Democratic minority should or shouldn't invest the time and effort to muster 40 "no" votes, especially now that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he will vote no on Roberts.

Don't miss the comments in these blogs -- some readers suggest the Senate quash Roberts in order to demonstrate that SCOTUS candidates must provide more substantive answers to questions. Other readers suggest the Senate focus on grappling with Mystery Candidate Number Two, whom Bush will nominate to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Speaking of which, I recommend you read the following great pieces on the topic:

  • Who's Next? Supreme Court Scuttlebutt by Emily Bazelon, who reports that Republican women lawyers aren't happy about the women candidates being bandied about, and examines some of the men.
  • Howard Bashman, whose rich list of news articles on Roberts, Reid and tomorrow's vote begins with The Boston Globe's "Senate minority chief opposes Roberts; Reid sends message to Bush on next pick for Supreme Court."

Posted by John Bringardner on September 21, 2005 at 01:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

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