Nuking Senate debate

Politics | Senators on both sides risk fallout in judicial nominee stalemate | John Dawson

The first one to blink in the face-off over judicial nominees turned out to be Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist acted as if he never saw Mr. Reid cave.

As the Senate Democrats' filibuster threats over judicial nominees came to a boil, Mr. Reid offered a compromise to Republicans: Democrats would stand down, allowing the Senate to vote on Richard Griffin, David McKeague, and Susan Neilson, if Republicans withdrew support for Henry Saad, a nominee for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Frist said no thank you: "At the end of the day, one will be left standing . . . the Constitution, which allows up-or-down votes, or the filibuster."

Senate Democrats led by Mr. Reid have threatened to use a parliamentary procedure known as a filibuster to stall President Bush's judicial nominees to lifetime positions on federal courts of appeal. Three others—Charles Pickering, Carolyn Kuhl, and Miguel Estrada—withdrew their nominations or retired. That leaves seven—William G. Myers III, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, Mr. Griffin, Mr. McKeague, William Pryor, and Mr. Saad—hanging on, either stuck in committee or stalled on the Senate floor. Democrats have also threatened to filibuster a handful of others nominated by the president.